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Chemotherapy is used to treat many types of cancer.
Chemotherapy may be recommended for you depending on the type of cancer you have, how far it’s spread and your general health.
You may have chemotherapy to:
You may have chemotherapy on its own or with other treatments such as radiotherapy (where radiation is used to kill cancer cells) or surgery.
Chemotherapy is also sometimes used to treat conditions caused by your own immune system attacking your body (autoimmune conditions).
There are lots of chemotherapy medicines and different ways you can have them.
The type of chemotherapy you have depends on the type of cancer you have and what medicines will work best for you.
You usually have treatment in hospital or a clinic, but you can have some types of chemotherapy at home.
You usually have chemotherapy in "cycles" over several months. This means you have treatment and then have a break of a few days or weeks to let your body recover before the next treatment.
| How it's given | What happens |
|---|---|
|
How it's given
Tube into a vein |
What happens
A thin tube is inserted into a vein (usually in your arm) and attached to a bag of medicine (a drip) or a pump. Can take from 30 minutes to a few days. |
|
How it's given
Injection |
What happens
You have an injection into a vein, muscle or under your skin. Usually only takes a few minutes. |
|
How it's given
Wearable pump |
What happens
A needle is inserted into a vein, which is attached to a tube and a small pump you can take home. The pump slowly gives you medicine over a few days. |
|
How it's given
Tablets or capsules |
What happens
You're given medicine to take at home and have regular appointments to check how things are going and get more medicine. |
Before starting chemotherapy, your care team will talk to you about your treatment and answer any questions you have.
Ask them about the side effects you might get and if there's anything you can do to prepare for them before treatment starts.
Some chemotherapy medicines can cause fertility problems, so you may want to ask about options for storing your eggs or sperm.
Each time you have treatment, your care team may:
These checks may be done on the same day you have treatment, or a few days before.
Chemotherapy medicines can be very harmful for an unborn baby.
If you think you could be pregnant, tell your care team as soon as possible. They may ask you to do a pregnancy test before having treatment.
It's important to use contraception during treatment if you could get pregnant or you could get your partner pregnant.
Chemotherapy can cause a range of side effects.
These usually start a few days or weeks after treatment begins and go away after treatment stops, although some side effects can last longer or may only start after treatment finishes.
Most people will get some side effects, but you will not get all of them. Ask your care team about the side effects you might get.
Common side effects of chemotherapy include:
Some types of chemotherapy can also affect your fertility. This can be temporary or permanent.
Let your care team know if you get side effects. They may be able to give you treatments to ease them and advice about things you can do.
These are signs of an infection or blood clot, which may need to be treated quickly.
Call NHS 111 if you're not sure how to contact your care team.
If you're having chemotherapy, your care team will support you during your treatment. They can give you information about local support services.
There are also national charities that offer support and information, such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.
You may find it useful to talk to or hear from other people with cancer, either online or in person.
If you care for someone who has cancer, you can get advice and support from charities.
