Chemotherapy?

Question

i just have a lot of questions about it, what is a chemo session, how long does one take, how is chemo given to a patient, is it done in a normal hospital, does everyone who gets surgery to remove the cancerous part need it or is it only when it advances to different body part?
thanks any other info i would be interested to hear

Answer 1

Just like there are 200 different types of cancer, there are also many, many chemotherapy options.

The type of chemotherapy a patient receives is part of a protocol for their type of cancer (a guideline that the oncologist follows based on documented and scientific evidence). There are different types of protocol depending on the stage and grade of the cancer, the patients age, and their overall health. Chemotherapy dosages can be adjusted. Oncologists discovered that many chemotherapy drugs produce better results when given in certain combinations over certain periods of time. These periods of time are called 'cycles'.

My son had a rare abdominal sarcoma, stage IV, and underwent 8 months of high dose chemotherapy using Vincristine, Doxibuicin, and Cytoxan for one cycle, followed 21 days later with Etoposide and Ifsomide. Since the chemo was high dose he was hospitalized during this treatment from 3 days in a month to 7 days in the month. My son has a central line that was placed in his chest. It is access port for blood draws, transfusions, medicines, and for chemotherapy. The chemo is in a bag on a pole along with a bag of hydration fluid. Strict guidelines are followed while it is being administered. Some of the chemo takes an hour to drip, some takes 24 hours, and some takes longer.
When the chemo cycle ended, he came home and went about a normal routine (school, graduation, friends). This protocol reduced his tumor burden by about 75% and he became a candidate for surgery.

The surgery removed his largest tumors but not the smaller and microscopic tumors. So, he continued with the high dose chemotherapy for a few more months. He than underwent a treatment called cytoreductive surgery and peritoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion. The surgeon removed all visible signs of cancer from the diaphragm, liver, large and small intestine, and completely removed the spleen. He than washed the abdomen with heated Mytomycin C (high dose chemotherapy) for 90 minutes. This was to kill off the peritoneal seeding of microscopic cancer cells.

Recovery from surgery took about 8 days and than since my son still had small amounts of cancer in his lungs. He switched chemo protocols to a lower dose of Irinotecan and Temodar which could be taken at home as an outpatient. A home nurse came to the house with a pole, the chemo, and fluid and administered it the same as in the hospital. This chemo combo made the chest tumors disappear and he was cancer free for 8 months.

He's recently had a relapse to the dome of the liver with the appearance of a few small (1 cm) tumors. These were treated with topetecan and cytoxan and Ifsomide and Etoposide. He will have his stem cells harvested in a few weeks.

Stage IV patients are often treated with multi-modalities of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Not all patients need to have this, some treatment is shorter, some longer, some effective, some not effective.

My son has been in treatment for 22 months. Considering the type of rare sarcoma he has, he's done exceptionally well.

Answer 2

Along with everyone else that has posted, I agree. Different types of cancer (brain, bone, breast, colon, esophageal etc..) and different stages 1 (caught early) to stage IV (has spread to other organs) requires different types of chemo. Some are done in the hospital or cancer center, while others can be done at home with a visiting nurse. Some come in pill, liquid or intravenous line forms.

My dad died 6 months ago from esophageal cancer that he had been battling for 2 yrs! He first had surgery (esophagetomy) in which his surgeon removed the lower part of his esophagus and the very top part of his stomach. Then stitched the remaining esophagus to the stomach (by pulling the stomach up), after surgery he was in the hospital about 10 days, and recovered at home for maybe another two weeks - and than his oncologist met with him and started him on chemotherapy (two different cycles) of three weeks on chemo and a week off = 1 cycle; than dad had radiation as well. It was stage IIa which meant the cancer had spread through the wall of his esophagus but not yet to other organs.

He had a complication resulting from minor surgery and the cancer came back - this time it was diagnosed at stage IV where it meant that had originated from the esophagus but had spread to both leg bones, a rib, a lung and his back. This was diagnosed May of 2006 and he was back on chemo (stronger dose and more powerful chemo), he wasn't a candidate for surgery because it had spread so far. He ended up in the hospital for what we all thought was pneumonia, he died on July 12, 2006 after 10 days in the hospital.

So as you can see, even within the same cancer group - different forms of chemo can be used depending on how advanced the cancer is, what works, what doesn't work. All a matter of the body's own system.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 3

It depends on what type of cancer you have. It depends on if it is chronic or acute. It depends on the drugs they give you for the cancer that you have. Some chemo might take a week, some just a few days of hospitalization. Chemo is given in a number of ways, orally, maybe by pills or liquid. They can be given to you by IV or they can be given in shots. It can be done in a normal hospital. Sometimes surgery is required and other times no, it just depends on the type of cancer you have. My son had leukemia when he was a year and a half old. He had oral chemo, IV, and shots. He relapsed and then had to have extensive chemo again and he had radiation too. He would have to stay in the hospital and be given chemo and then sometimes he would be given the chemo in out patient clinic at the hospital. I gave him leg shots at the end of this cancer treatment. He had a broviac and a porta cath too that I had to take care of. If you have any other questions if I can help you I will.

Answer 4

ok chemo causes depression nausa bone pains and a lot of other side affects. my mom is on chemo for breast cancer and takes chemo once a wekk i have a friend that is on chemo for throat cancer and has to take it everyday with a pump on his side.i have a husband that has mouth cancer and they will not give him chemo they said he is not a candidate for it.moms only last about an hour and a half.the best way to get the chemo is to have a port put in,because the needle they have to use is very big and hurts bad having to be given in the arm .the port can be placed just under the skin same day surgery.they will numb a port to put the needle in but they wont numb your arm to do it.i hope i have helped you.

Answer 5

it all depends on the type of cancer you have sometimes chemo can take a 24 hr session or just a couple hrs and even sometimes a week session it doesn't matter how long it takes as long you get cured, trust me i know how it feels what your going through i am also going through the process of chemotherapy i was diagnosed with Leukemia A.L.L. on Oct 07 2005 and i am alot better know and i hope you will be the same