Depending on the type of cancer you have, your medical oncologist may recommend chemotherapy as part of your treatment plan.
Chemotherapy is a group of medicines used to treat cancer. While surgery and radiation therapy target specific areas of the body, chemotherapy works systemically (throughout the body). Chemotherapy can also destroy cancer cells that have metastasized to parts of the body away from the original tumor site.
There are many variables to chemotherapy:
- More than 100 different drugs are used in chemotherapy.
- You may receive a single drug or a combination of drugs. Depending on your combination of drugs, your chemotherapy treatment session may last a few minutes to a few hours.
- You may receive chemotherapy as an injection, a pill, or an IV infusion.
Chemotherapy is administered by nursing professionals under the direction of your medical oncologist. Our pharmacists and nurses are highly trained in the preparation and management of chemotherapy–related drugs.
Your oncology team will closely monitor your progress and manage your care. Our community-based cancer treatment centers are designed to make your treatment sessions as comfortable as possible.