Introduction
Chemotherapy is one of the most common methods used to treat and get rid of cancer especially during its early stages. In fact, a lot of patients have successfully gone into relapse or have been complete free of the effects of the disease because of the procedure. Chemo cancer continues to offer a good chance for patients to recover fully from the ill effects of the dreaded illness. The frequency and duration of treatment will vary depending on the patient's response as well as the stage of cancer development.
History
About Chemotherapy
Most cancers like cancer of the breast can be treated using chemotherapy. The approach of the chemo cancer is to use a number of drugs and medications or an antineoplastic drug to prevent the fast and abnormal growth and spread of cancer cells in the body. The drug treatment must be carefully planned and launched into becoming a standard routine so that cancer cells originating in the breast tissues, in the case of breast cancer, can immediately and consistently eliminated. Targeted therapy is different from chemotherapy, since the former focuses on specific proteins in the cancer cells and uses a new set of drugs. A number of side effects can also develop from treatment such as hair loss, reduced blood cell production and weakening of the immune system.
Features
Duration of Treatment
Chemo cancer treatment will continue based on a number of things such as the kind of cancer being treated, the cancer development stage, the response of the patient to treatment, the toxicity of the drugs used and the type of drugs required. Chemotherapy is provided in cycles. The idea is to destroy cancer cells when these are most vulnerable. Getting off the cycle allows the healthy cells to repair themselves from the damage caused by the drug combinations.
The 3 Factors
A number of things have to be considered about the cycle such as the number of cycles, how often the cycle should be repeated and how long each cycle must last. As for the number of cycles, chemotherapy can be done every week, every month, twice a week or twice a month. As for how often the cycle should be repeated, it will depend on the objectives. If chemotherapy is applied with other interventions like surgery for breast cancer, treatment can last 6 to 12 months. As for how long the cycle must last, it will depend on whether one or more drugs are being used. The doctor will decide whether to give the required drugs over one or several days.
Tips and Comments
The chemo cancer session can last anywhere from several minutes to a few days. Some therapies only require 1 to 2 cycles until doctors confirm that the abnormal cells have successfully been destroyed in their early stages. The frequency of the cycle will also depend on the patient's reaction to treatment. Some patients are able to recover faster from chemo cancer approaches and can again be scheduled for a repeat session. Older individuals will require more time to recover and fully heal.
