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How does chemotherapy work?
Chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to slow or stop the growth of rapidly dividing cancer cells in the body. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), our medical oncologists are experienced in delivering targeted, individualized chemotherapy while proactively managing side effects.
Chemotherapy may be used:
- As a primary treatment to destroy cancer cells
- Before another treatment to shrink a tumor
- After another treatment to destroy any remaining cancer cells
- To relieve symptoms of advanced cancer
Chemotherapy may be administered in the following ways:
- Orally (by mouth, as a pill or liquid)
- Intravenously (by infusion into a vein)
- Topically (as a cream on the skin)
- By injection
- Through direct placement (via a lumbar puncture or device placed under the scalp)
Our options
When chemotherapy drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body, it's known as systemic chemotherapy. When the drugs are directed to a specific area of the body, it's called regional chemotherapy.
Beyond the standard chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer, we also offer two specific types of chemotherapy treatments:
