- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Brain Aneurysm
- Brain Tumors
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Childhood Brain Tumors
- Delirium
- Dementia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Ischemic Stroke
- Memory
- Meningitis
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Movement Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome
- Speech and Language Problems in Children
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Tremor
- Walking Problems
- West Nile Virus
- A1C
- Blood Glucose
- Diabetes
- Diabetes and Pregnancy
- Diabetes Complications
- Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Diabetes Medicines
- Diabetes Type 1
- Diabetes Type 2
- Diabetic Diet
- Diabetic Eye Problems
- Diabetic Foot
- Diabetic Heart Disease
- Diabetic Kidney Problems
- Diabetic Nerve Problems
- How to Prevent Diabetes
- Hyperglycemia
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes
- Abortion
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Diseases
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breastfeeding
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Cesarean Delivery
- Childbirth
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Female Infertility
- Health Problems in Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- HPV
- Hysterectomy
- Infections and Pregnancy
- Mammography
- Mastectomy
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Miscarriage
- Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian Cysts
- Ovarian Disorders
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Pelvic Pain
- Period Pain
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use
- Pregnancy and Opioids
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Prenatal Care
- Prenatal Testing
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
- Sexual Problems in Women
- Stillbirth
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Trichomoniasis
- Tubal Ligation
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Diseases
- Uterine Fibroids
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vaginal Diseases
- Vaginitis
- Vulvar Cancer
- Vulvar Disorders
- Yeast Infections
- Alcohol
- Calcium
- Child Nutrition
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
- DASH Eating Plan
- Eating Disorders
- Food Allergy
- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
- Infant and Newborn Nutrition
- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
- Nutrition for Older Adults
- Pregnancy and Nutrition
- Toddler Nutrition
- Triglycerides
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Brain Malformations
- Cerebral Palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Chiari Malformation
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Color Blindness
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Friedreich Ataxia
- Genetic Counseling
- Hemophilia
- Huntington’s Disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Neural Tube Defects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Newborn Screening
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy and Medicines
- Rett Syndrome
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Usher Syndrome
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Allergy
- Animal Bites
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Aplastic Anemia
- Asthma
- Asthma in Children
- Childhood Leukemia
- Childhood Vaccines
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Eosinophilic Disorders
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Hay Fever
- HIV
- HIV and Infections
- HIV in Women
- Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kawasaki Disease
- Lymphedema
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Pemphigus
- Pneumocystis Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Tonsillitis
- Vaccines
- Viral Infections
- Adhesions
- Ankle Injuries and Disorders
- Arm Injuries and Disorders
- Back Injuries
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
- Burns
- Chest Injuries and Disorders
- Concussion
- CPR
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dislocations
- Elbow Injuries and Disorders
- Eye Injuries
- Facial Injuries and Disorders
- Finger Injuries and Disorders
- Foot Injuries and Disorders
- Fractures
- Hand Injuries and Disorders
- Heel Injuries and Disorders
- Hip Injuries and Disorders
- Inhalation Injuries
- Insect Bites and Stings
- Jaw Injuries and Disorders
- Knee Injuries and Disorders
- Leg Injuries and Disorders
- Mosquito Bites
- Neck Injuries and Disorders
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Tick Bites
- Toe Injuries and Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Wrist Injuries and Disorders
- Acute Bronchitis
- Bird Flu
- Chronic Bronchitis
- COPD
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- Croup
- E-Cigarettes
- Fistulas
- Flu
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
- Legionnaires’ Disease
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
- Sleep Apnea
- Smoking
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping Cough
- Anatomy
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Birth Control
- Chlamydia Infections
- Circumcision
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes Simplex
- Infertility
- Male Infertility
- Penis Disorders
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Prostate Diseases
- Reproductive Hazards
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Problems in Men
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Syphilis
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Disorders
- Vasectomy
- Abdominal Pain
- Bad Breath
- Bleeding
- Breathing Problems
- Bruises
- Chest Pain
- Choking
- Chronic Pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness and Vertigo
- Edema
- Fainting
- Fever
- Frostbite
- Gas
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Heat Illness
- Hives
- Hypothermia
- Indigestion
- Itching
- Jaundice
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Pain
- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Cancer Chemotherapy
Summary
What is cancer chemotherapy?
Cancer chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment. It uses medicines to destroy cancer cells.
Normally, the cells in your body grow and die in a controlled way. Cancer cells keep growing without control. Chemotherapy works by killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth.
Chemotherapy is used to:
- Treat cancer by curing the cancer, lessening the chance it will return, or stopping or slowing its growth.
- Ease cancer symptoms by shrinking tumors that are causing pain and other problems.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy does not just destroy cancer cells. It can also harm some healthy cells, which causes side effects.
You may have a lot of side effects, some side effects, or none at all. It depends on the type and amount of chemotherapy you get and how your body reacts.
Some common side effects are:
- Mouth sores
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain
- Hair loss
There are ways to prevent or control some side effects. Talk with your health care provider about how to manage them. Healthy cells usually recover after chemotherapy is over, so most side effects gradually go away.
What can I expect when getting chemotherapy?
You may get chemotherapy in a hospital or at home, a doctor’s office, or a medical clinic. You might be given the medicines by mouth, in a shot, as a cream, through a catheter, or intravenously (by IV).
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of cancer you have, which chemotherapy medicines are used, the treatment goals, and how your body responds to the medicines.
Chemotherapy may be given alone or with other treatments. You may get treatment every day, every week, or every month. You may have breaks between treatments so that your body has a chance to build new healthy cells.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
Start Here
- A to Z List of Cancer Drugs National Cancer Institute
- Chemotherapy American Cancer Society
- Chemotherapy and You: Support for People with Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer National Cancer Institute
Patient Handouts
- After chemotherapy – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
- Central venous catheter – dressing change Medical Encyclopedia
- Central venous catheter – flushing Medical Encyclopedia
- Central venous catheters – ports Medical Encyclopedia
- Low white blood cell count and cancer Medical Encyclopedia
- Oral mucositis – self-care Medical Encyclopedia
- Types of chemotherapy Medical Encyclopedia
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology
- National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
- NCI Designated Cancer Centers National Cancer Institute
- Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services National Cancer Institute
Related Issues
- Anemia American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Anemia and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Appetite Loss and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Bleeding and Bruising (Thrombocytopenia) and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Cancer Patients and Fungal Infections Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Cancer Therapy Interactions with Foods and Dietary Supplements National Cancer Institute
- Cancer Treatments & Oral Health National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
- Chemo Brain Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Chemotherapy and Hair Loss: What to Expect during Treatment Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Chemotherapy and Sex: Is Sexual Activity OK during Treatment? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Chemotherapy Side Effects: A Cause of Heart Disease? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Constipation and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Diarrhea and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Edema (Swelling) and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Fatigue and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Hair Loss (Alopecia) and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Infection and Neutropenia during Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Low Blood Cell Counts: Side Effects of Cancer Treatment Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Managing Cancer-Related Side Effects American Cancer Society
- Memory or Concentration Problems and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Mouth and Throat Problems during Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Nausea and Vomiting in People with Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Nerve Problems (Peripheral Neuropathy) and Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Off-Label Drug Use in Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation National Cancer Institute
- Pain Management for People with Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Skin and Nail Changes during Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Urinary and Bladder Problems National Cancer Institute
Children
- Central Lines (Central Venous Catheters) Nemours Foundation
- Chemotherapy Nemours Foundation
- Implanted Ports Nemours Foundation
- Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC Line) Nemours Foundation
- Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Tunneled Central Lines Nemours Foundation
Specifics
- Central Venous Catheter (Central Line) American Thoracic Society
- Getting Oral or Topical Chemotherapy American Cancer Society
- Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer National Cancer Institute
Encyclopedia
- Chemotherapy Medical Encyclopedia
- Chemotherapy – what to ask your doctor Medical Encyclopedia
- Midline venous catheters – infants Medical Encyclopedia
- Peripherally inserted central catheter – flushing Medical Encyclopedia
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Cancer Chemotherapy National Institutes of Health
Reference Desk
- Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute
Living With
- Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment National Cancer Institute
- Nutrition for People with Cancer American Cancer Society
Journal Articles
Women
- Sexual Health Issues in Women with Cancer National Cancer Institute
Health Check Tools
- Take 3 Steps Toward Preventing Infections During Cancer Treatment Centers for Disease Control and Prevention