What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is the general term for drugs that stop cancer cells from growing. When given these drugs will affect cancer cells anywhere in the body. As a result, chemotherapy is considered a systemic treatment.

Chemotherapy protocols represent the “recipe” of chemotherapy drugs that are given to a patient. These protocols are designed to maximize the elimination of cancer cells while minimizing the negative effects on healthy cells. The goal is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible while leaving enough normal cells to recover organ function. The oncologist will follow the recipe but make adjustments based on the tolerance of the patient and knowledge of disease behavior to achieve best outcome while maintaining good quality of life