Did you know that chemotherapy is one of the primary treatment options for cancer patients? If you have been recently diagnosed, you may have a significant degree of fear about your treatment. There are many unknowns when facing chemotherapy treatment. While each patient has a unique course of treatment, every cancer patient can find it daunting to receive this news. There are five facts that you should know about chemotherapy to give you peace of mind.
What is Chemotherapy?
It’s a type of cancer treatment that targets and kills cancer cells. However, in the process, it can kill healthy cells as well. When healthy cells die, this can cause numerous side effects and may cause you to feel ill. However, you may not realize why chemotherapy treatment in Singapore can be beneficial.
How Can Chemotherapy Be Beneficial?
- Your course of treatment is unique to you. Did you know that your course of chemotherapy treatment is specifically designed for you? Every type of cancer presents a unique challenge. This is why cancer treatment is highly targeted, and there are now programs that doctors can use to pull up results from other patients to tell them what combination of medications worked best.
- It may not be the ONLY treatment you receive. Doctors and researchers have been working together to determine what combinations of medications work best. This means that chemotherapy may not be the ONLY course of treatment. There are research hospitals that utilize alternative therapies along with chemotherapy for a better result. Additionally, some treatment plans may encourage you to make your faith a part of the journey.
- Delivery methods are unique, along with your chemotherapy treatment. Not all chemotherapy treatments are created equal. Depending on the type of cancer diagnosis you receive, you will then discuss with your doctor a specific course of chemotherapy and treatment. Many treatments are administered through IV, and others are now given orally via a tablet. Some may be taken once a month, and there are some that may be taken daily.
Cycles of chemotherapy given through an IV are often given once or twice a week, and there are some that are administered topically. The treatment plan is always dependent upon the type of cancer, as well as the stage and aggressive nature of the treatment.
- Side effects are not the same for everyone. Your diagnosis and treatment will be different from other patients. The same is also true of side effects. Even if you have a treatment plan that is similar to someone else, you will discover that you experience fewer side effects than someone else. You could also experience more side effects. Once again, this all depends upon your diagnosis and your treatment.
- How often will you get chemotherapy treatments? Chemotherapy treatment is usually given in cycles or rounds. However, you refer to them may be different from how others refer to them. These treatments for cancer may also be referred to as courses. These courses last anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Depending on the type of cancer, it may be required for you to complete multiple courses of chemotherapy. The goal of several cycles is to either slow down the growth of cancer or stop the spread of cancer. There is also an aspect of chemotherapy cycles in which it should aid in shrinking tumours.
There are many different essential aspects of chemotherapy, but these five highlights the most common challenges cancer patients deal with regularly. Every diagnosis for cancer is unique, and the treatment that follows is also unique.