Chemotherapy has come a long way in the last several years. Many of the awful side effects of chemotherapy can be controlled or even prevented today and chemotherapy is often the best option available for treating cancer.

Chemotherapy is a general term that covers the use of many different chemical agents with the objective of inhabiting or stopping the growth of cancer cells and even killing cancer cells at sites in the body that are a long way from the original cancer.

The greatest majority of people who are diagnosed with cancer of any kind are treated with chemotherapy. That is because chemotherapy is effective. Chemotherapy can allow cancer patients to enjoy rich, full lives.

A treatment plan and a treatment schedule (a regimen) are recommended by the doctor for the administering of drugs included in the chemotherapy treatment. Some of these drugs are intended to fight the cancer, and some are intended to help support the cancer-fighting drugs. Doctors agree that keeping to the recommended schedule provides the best opportunity for the chemotherapy treatment to be successful.

The drugs used in chemotherapy treatment can be delivered by injection, by intravenous drip, or orally in pill form. The way the drug is administered is determined by the drug being used. Many of the cancer-fighting drugs used in chemotherapy are designed to kill fast-growing cancer cells. The problem is that these drugs can't tell the difference between fast-growing cancer cells and other fast-growing cells, including hair and blood cells.

Still, chemotherapy is often the very best choice available for treating cancer, even with the side effects. The best defense is always knowledge. Talk with your doctor. Work to understand the goals as well as the risks associated with each treatment. Only you can determine the benefit/risk balance that is right for you.