Chemotherapy is the use of drugs (called chemotherapeutics, “chemo” drugs, or anticancer drugs) to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body to kill cancerous cells.
A course of chemotherapy is generally given in cycles in which a treatment period is followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Although many anticancer drugs are injected into a vein (IV) or a muscle (IM), some anticancer drugs are available as pills or capsules that are taken by mouth.
|
