Chemotherapy

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is one of the three main ways to treat cancer.

The word chemotherapy comes from two words:

Chemo   'chemical’     

Therapy  ‘treatment’ 

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells.

How does chemotherapy work?

Chemotherapy drugs are known as “cytotoxic drugs”. They work by trying to stop the growth of rapidly dividing cells.  Because – by their nature – cancer cells are rapidly dividing, it is hoped that they will become damaged and die.

However, the body also contains healthy rapidly dividing cells (that grow in the mouth, stomach or bone marrow for example.) These can also be affected by the chemotherapy drugs, causing side-effects. There is more about this in our side-effects section.

The chemotherapy drugs are carried through the body in the bloodstream, so they can reach cells wherever they find them, including those that may have broken away and spread.

Some cancers, such as leukaemia, need chemotherapy because the cancer cells are in the blood and therefore all over the body.

When a solid tumour is removed with surgery, doctors may also prescribe chemotherapy to try and “mop up” any cancer cells that remain in the body.

Chemotherapy has to be planned carefully so that it harms the rapidly dividing unhealthy (cancerous) cells but creates the minimum amount of harm to the healthy rapidly dividing cells in the body. Because of this doctors may use a combination of chemotherapy drugs, at high or low doses and at different times, creating an individual treatment plan for each child. The aim of this is to eliminate the cancer and minimise side-effects associated with the drugs.

How is chemotherapy given?

Chemotheraphy can be given by one, or a combination of the following ways:

• By mouth – in the form of liquid or tablets
• By injection - into the muscle or under the skin.
• Intravenously – where the drug is diluted in fluid and given straight into the vein, via a drip.

The 'central line'

A 'central line'  – such as a Hickman ® line is another way for a child to receive chemotherapy. It  is a rubber tube or catheter which is placed under the skin and attached to a central vein in the chest. The end of the tube is on the outside of the chest and is sealed with a cap. When chemotherapy is given, the cap is removed and the drugs are injected into the line. The line can stay in place for the period of treatment.

The advantages of such a line are that the child does not have to have needles injected into the skin each time treatment is due. It also gives doctors easy access when taking blood samples.

The child will need a small operation to fit the line and special care to make sure the line does not become blocked or infected.

The drugs used for chemotherapy are very powerful and can cause certain side-effects. There is more information about these in our side-effects section.