Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is normally given as a course of treatment lasting several months. In many cases, chemotherapy will be given on certain days with a gap before it is restarted. This allows your body to recover between the doses.

You should discuss with your doctor how long the course will be and whether it can be adjusted - or example, if you have particular commitments on fixed dates.

Your doctors will recommend a drug or sometimes a mix of drugs for you, taking into account your type of cancer, how advanced it is and your general health. There are many types of chemotherapy drugs, the chemotherapy drug will be mixed specially for you and will be given either intravenously, as an injection or as pills or capsules.

Before your treatment starts you are likely to have a number of tests, including blood tests and specialist ones looking at liver and kidney function. This is to give your doctors a baseline so they can see how the chemotherapy is affecting your body. These tests may be repeated several times during your course of treatment.

Most chemotherapy will be given as a day case in hospital. You should expect to be at the hospital for some hours and might want to bring a book! The treatment itself should be comfortable and you will be well looked after. Usually you are able to go home on the same day but occasionally the length of chemotherapy treatment can vary and require an overnight or longer stay in hospital. Your doctor will discuss this with you in advance. In some cases, we may be able to deliver ongoing chemotherapy treatment in your home.

Very occasionally your treatment may have to be delayed because blood or other tests indicate you are not ready to receive another dose. Normally you would be asked to come back a few days later so you can be retested and the chemotherapy restarted.

You have probably heard a great deal about the side-effects of chemotherapy. While many people do suffer side-effects, these are often mild and can usually be controlled. Your doctors and nurses will always discuss the potential side-effects with you and will help you to cope with them.

Side-effects can include:

• nausea and sickness
• tiredness
• soreness in your mouth and a change in your sense of taste
• increased vulnerability to infection due to the effect of the chemotherapy on your bone marrow
• hair loss
• skin changes
• changes to the liver, kidney, heart and lung function - but your doctors are likely to be monitoring these very carefully.

If you decide to pay for your treatment, Ramsay offer an all-inclusive Total Care package, where a single one-off payment at a pre-agreed price, delivering direct access to all the treatment you need for complete reassurance. You can also spread the cost of your treatment with finance options available. The cost of chemotherapy depends on your local Ramsay facility, to find out more information click here.