Method of Chemotherapy to be Given
Chemotherapy is treatment in which drugs are given to patients to treat cancer.
Chemotherapy drugs kill the cancerous cell in body which help to control or eradicate cancer. There are different ways by which chemotherapy is given.
- Orally (by mouth)
- Injection (intramuscular)
- Intravenous (IV)
- Intra-arterial (into the arteries)
- Intra-lesional (directly into the tumor)
- Intra-peritoneal (into the peritoneal cavity)
- Intra-thecal (into the spinal fluid)
- Topically (applied to the skin)
Orally
In this method, chemotherapy drugs that are used are the form of pills liquids, capsule or tablets. Oral chemotherapy is given by mouth. Oral chemotherapy method is the easiest method and can be taken at home.
Injection
In this method, chemotherapy is given through injection. Also known as intramuscular chemotherapy in which drug is injected into a muscle. In other method, chemotherapy is injected subcutaneously which means under the skin.
Intravenous
In intravenous chemotherapy method, drugs are injected into a vein. A small needle is injected into a vein on the hand or lower arm. A small tube called catheter is attached to needle from which drug is inserted into needle from an IV bag or bottle.
Chemotherapy may also be given by a catheter or port which is inserted permanently into a central vein or body cavity. Usually, catheter is located at external jugular vein in the neck. This method saves lot of time as it eliminates the need for repeated injections.
Intra-arterial
Chemotherapy drugs are put arteries which provide blood and oxygen to cancerous tumor. Intra-arterial chemotherapy is applied to those cancer patient in which tumor is confined to specific organ. It is used for certain brain and neck cancers.
Intra-lesional
In intra-lesional chemotherapy, anticancer drugs are directly injected into tumor that is in the skin, under the skin, or in an organ inside the body. Intra-lesional chemotherapy is used for treating melanoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma and also malignancies such as laryngeal cancers.
Intra-peritoneal
In intra-peritoneal chemotherapy, drugs are administered directly into the abdominal cavity through a catheter or port. Catheter at is put into place by surgery. Patients with small tumor are better candidates for intra- peritoneal chemotherapy. Ovarian cancer can be treated with intra-peritoneal chemotherapy. Cisplatin, paclitaxel, floxuridine, 5-FU, mitoxantrone, carboplatin, and alfa-interferon are some of the drugs that are used in intra-peritoneal
chemotherapy.
Intra-thecal
In intra-thecal chemotherapy, anticancer drugs are injected into the spinal fluid. This chemotherapy method is used to treat lymphocytic leukemia. Drugs that are commonly used in intra-thecal chemotherapy are methotrexate and cytarabine.
Topical Chemotherapy
Topical chemotherapy is commonly used for the treatment of certain skin cancers. In topical chemotherapy, drugs in the form of cream or ointment are applied directly to the affected cancerous area. Fluorouracil, also known as 5-FU, which is a topical anticancer cream, is commonly used for the treatment.
Chemotherapy is treatment in which drugs are given to patients to treat cancer. Chemotherapy drugs kill the cancerous cell in body which help to control or eradicate cancer. Chemotherapy is treatment in which drugs are given to patients to treat cancer. Chemotherapy drugs kill the cancerous cell in body which help to control or eradicate cancer.