Chemotherapy is a type of therapy used to treat cancer; during this procedure, chemical medications are employed to kill the body’s rapidly proliferating cells, which are the disease’s primary cause. Chemotherapy can function throughout the entire body, unlike surgery and radiation therapy, which only remove or harm cancer cells in a specific location. It is also feasible to administer chemotherapy alone or in conjunction with other treatments.
Chemotherapy is occasionally used to treat non-cancerous illnesses, but the doses are frequently lower and the side effects may be lessened. Chemotherapy aims to cure cancer, control cancer, and ease cancer symptoms. These are its three main objectives.
Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer
Depending on the stage, cancer can be treated after a diagnosis. Roman numerals are typically used to rate the cancer. The kind of cancer is more serious if the number is higher. In certain circumstances, doctors merely administer one medication, but more advanced phases call for a combination of treatments. The doctor may suggest the following among the various cancer therapies and methods of diagnosis:
- Surgery: During this process, the doctor eliminates the body’s malignant organs, tissues, or tumors.
- Chemotherapy is a sort of medicine that aids in the treatment of cancer. Drugs are employed in this process to either kill cancer cells, stop them from spreading, or shrink the tumor. To eliminate cancer cells, chemotherapy can also be used in conjunction with surgery, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy. Chemotherapy can be administered in a variety of ways, including injections, intra-arterial (drugs are injected directly into the artery), intravenous (drugs are injected into a vein), oral (drugs are taken as tablets or liquid), and topical (patients apply cream to their skin).
- High doses of radiation are used during radiation therapy to eradicate cancer cells and reduce tumor size.
- Drugs are employed in targeted therapy to cure cancer. However, in this instance, the medications are
- administered to target particular genes, proteins, or tissues that support the growth and survival of cancer.
How are Patients Given Chemotherapy?
Depending on the chemotherapy medications used and the type of cancer you have, you may receive chemotherapy in a variety of methods.
- Chemotherapy is typically administered intravenously, or through an injection into a vein. Intravenous chemotherapy is what this is.
- Some medications (oral chemotherapy) are administered as tablets or capsules.
- Some are injected intramuscularly (into the muscle).
- Others might get subcutaneous injections, which take place just below the skin.
The drugs administered in the aforementioned ways are absorbed into the circulation and transported throughout the body to all cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be administered into the fluid surrounding the spine for specific cancer types. The term “intrathecal chemotherapy” refers to this. Intracavity chemotherapy refers to the practice of injecting chemotherapy into certain body cavities, such as the bladder or pelvic cavity.When administered in this fashion, medications have a tendency to remain localized and have minimal impact on nearby cells. Some skin cancers can be treated with chemotherapy creams since they exclusively damage the cells in the area of skin where the cream is applied.
How To Administer Chemotherapy Drugs
Via cannula intravenous chemotherapy
A short, thin tube (cannula) will be inserted by the nurse or doctor into a vein in the back of your hand or forearm. You might have some discomfort or agony, but it shouldn’t last long, and the discomfort rapidly subsides. An anesthetic cream can be used to the skin to numb the area before the cannula is inserted if you find the process uncomfortable. The cream needs 10 to 20 minutes to start working.
The cannula will be taped firmly to keep it in place after being inserted. The cannula is then connected to a transparent bag of fluid (a drip) by a tube. Some chemotherapy medications are injected into a rubber bung in the drip tubing. This could take anything from a few minutes to roughly 20.
Some medications will be infused straight into the drip bag. It can take 20 minutes, several hours, or even days to do this. While the medication is being administered, if you experience any discomfort or notice any changes in sensation, redness, or swelling near the cannula (or along your arm), notify your nurse or doctor right once.
Chemotherapy administered intravenously using central lines (tunneled central venous catheters)
A long, thin plastic tube called a central line is inserted into a vein in your chest. Common types include Groshong® or Hickman® lines. The doctor or the chemotherapy nurse will walk you through the process. Prior to inserting the central line, you will get a general or local anesthetic.
To keep it from being ripped out of the vein once it is in place, the central line is either stitched or taped tightly to your chest.
A little ‘cuff’ that surrounds the line and is felt just beneath the skin is present. The line is securely held in place by the cuff. When receiving intravenous chemotherapy, you do not need to have cannulas inserted because a central line can remain in the vein for several months. Additionally, blood can be drawn from it for testing.
You will be able to bathe or take a shower, but you should use a plastic dressing to keep the region where the tube enters the skin from getting wet. Make sure you are comfortable taking care of your central line before you go for home. Contact the staff at the chemotherapy clinic or the ward for assistance if you need it.
Potential issues with central lines: Infection and obstruction are both potential issues. The line must be flushed once or twice a week with saline solution (salt water) or heparin, a clotting inhibitor. You can learn how to do this from the ward nurses, or they can make arrangements for a district nurse to come to your home and perform this task for you. In order to assist prevent blood clots from developing and obstructing your line, your doctor may additionally recommend a modest dose of the medication warfarin.
Contact the medical personnel if you experience any swelling in your neck or arm since your line may be clogged. Inform your doctor right once if you experience any reddening, darkening, or discomfort of the skin near the central line, or if you develop a fever. These symptoms could indicate an infection in the line. If this occurs, you will require antibiotics to be administered through the line to treat the infection.
Although some hospitals employ a lower or higher temperature, most hospitals deem a temperature of 38°C (100.5°F) or more to be high. You can ask the medical staff at your hospital what temperature they use.
Taking Down Your Central Line.
The centre line will be removed once you are done using it. This will be done for you by a doctor or nurse, typically in the outpatient area. The line will be softly but firmly pulled until it releases and your chest is cleansed with antiseptic. Although it normally only takes a few minutes, this can be painful. Sometimes it is necessary to make a tiny skin cut in order to release the cuff. Anesthetic is used locally to perform this. You will be instructed to stay in a laying position until it is evident there is no bleeding after a dressing is applied to the area where the line was withdrawn.
