Often prescribed in isolation, many medical therapies used to treat cervical (and other forms) of cancer can benefit from being used alongside dietary, herbal and body and mind treatments as well. Specifically, visualization can be a great treatment to use alongside of chemotherapy, as the patient actually visualizes the the treatment as killing off harmful cancer cells.
Check out the cervical cancer treatment page to see all the possible treatments for cervical cancer.
Chemotherapy is the use of toxic drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be given in many forms including: pill, injection, and via a catheter. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body. It kills mostly cancer cells, but also some healthy cells. Chemotherapy alone rarely cures cervical cancer. It may be used in addition to surgery and/or radiation.
This therapy may also be used to help control pain and bleeding when a cure is no longer possible.
Chemotherapy is usually combined with radiation therapy.
Many types of chemotherapy drugs not only damage the cancer cells but can also damage some of your normal cells. This can create side effects. Side effects will vary between chemotherapy treatments. Your doctor will review a list of possible complications for your treatment type. Some side effects of chemotherapy include:
You and your doctor will talk about options to help relieve some of these effects.
After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:
In case of an emergency, call 911.
American Lung Association website. Available at: http://www.lungusa.org . Accessed January 27, 2006.
Breast cancer. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov . Accessed January 27, 2006.
Detailed guide: breast cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org . Accessed January 27, 2006.
Chemotherapy is usually given by vein, but some forms can be given by mouth as well. Your oncologist will tell you how many cycles or courses of chemotherapy are best for you. Usually there are between 4-8 cycles when the chemotherapy is delivered on its own.
The type of chemotherapy you receive will depend on the type and stage of your cancer. New combinations of chemotherapy are constantly being designed as new information is discovered. The most common chemotherapeutic drug combinations are:
Chemotherapy is usually given by vein, but some forms can be given by mouth as well. Your oncologist will tell you how many cycles or courses of chemotherapy are best for you. Usually there are between 4-8 cycles when the chemotherapy is delivered on its own.
In addition to drugs that kill cancer cells (cytotoxic therapy), you may be given estrogen-blocking drugs, such as tamoxifen or the newer class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors (AIs). These drugs will produce symptoms of menopause (eg, hot flashes, night sweats) in many women. They may also produce a condition called “tumor flare” in patients with advanced cancer metastatic to bone, resulting in increased blood calcium. This may be a serious health threat that requires hospitalization.
Many types of chemotherapy drugs not only damage the cancer cells but can also damage some of your normal cells. This can create side effects. Side effects will vary between chemotherapy treatments. Your doctor will review a list of possible complications for your treatment type. Some side effects of chemotherapy include:
You and your doctor will talk about options to help relieve some of these effects.
After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:
In case of an emergency, call 911.
Chemotherapy is a form of therapy that employs drugs to kill cancer cells. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body in order to kill cancer cells. The side effects from the chemotherapy come from the fact that it destroys normal cells as well as the cancer cells.
The type of chemotherapy you receive will depend on the type and stage of your cancer. New combinations of chemotherapy are constantly being designed as new information is discovered. The most common chemotherapeutic drug combinations are:
In addition to drugs that kill cancer cells (cytotoxic therapy), you may be given estrogen-blocking drugs, such as tamoxifen or the newer class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors (AIs). These drugs will produce symptoms of menopause (eg, hot flashes, night sweats) in many women. They may also produce a condition called “tumor flare” in patients with advanced cancer metastatic to bone, resulting in increased blood calcium. This may be a serious health threat that requires hospitalization.
