Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to treat cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy has been used

for many years and is one of the most common treatments for cancer. In most cases, chemotherapy
works by interfering with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs
work in different ways to fight cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be used alone for some types of
cancer or in combination with other treatments such as radiation or surgery. Often, a combination of
chemotherapy drugs is used to fight a specific cancer. Certain chemotherapy drugs may be given in
a specific order depending on the type of cancer it is being used to treat.
While chemotherapy can be quite effective in treating certain cancers, chemotherapy drugs reach all
parts of the body, not just the cancer cells. Because of this, there may be many side effects during
treatment. Being able to anticipate these side effects can help you and your caregivers prepare and,
in some cases, prevent these symptoms from occurring.

How is chemotherapy administered?

Chemotherapy can be given:
 as a pill to swallow.
 as an injection into the muscle or fat tissue.
 intravenously (directly to the bloodstream; also called IV).
 topically (applied to the skin)
 directly into a body cavity

What are some of the chemotherapy drugs and their potential side effects?
The following table lists specific chemotherapy drugs and some of the side effects, however, each
child may experience symptoms differently and at different times of the treatment. Some side
effects may occur early on (days or weeks) and some side effects may occur later (months or years)
after the chemotherapy has been given. The side effects listed are not all the possible problems that
may occur. Always consult your child's physician if your child is feeling anything unusual.
Definition
Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, x-ray therapy radiation treatment, cobalt therapy,
electron beam therapy, or irradiation uses high energy, penetrating waves or particles such as x rays,
gamma rays, proton rays, or neutron rays to destroy cancer cells or keep them from reproducing.

Purpose
The purpose of radiation therapy is to kill or damage cancer cells. Radiation therapy is a common
form of cancer therapy. It is used in more than half of all cancer cases. Radiation therapy can be
used:
 alone to kill cancer
 before surgery to shrink a tumor and make it easier to remove
 during surgery to kill cancer cells that may remain in surrounding tissue after the surgery
(called intraoperative radiation)
 after surgery to kill cancer cells remaining in the body
 to shrink an inoperable tumor in order to and reduce pain and improve quality of life
 in combination with chemotherapy
For some kinds of cancers such as early-stage Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas,
and certain types of prostate or brain cancer, radiation therapy alone may cure the disease. In other
cases, radiation therapy used in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, or both, increases survival
rates over any of these therapies used alone.

Precautions
Radiation therapy does not make the person having the treatments radioactive. In almost all cases,
the benefits of this therapy outweigh the risks. However radiation therapy can have has serious
consequences, so anyone contemplating it should be sure understand why the treatment team
believes it is the best possible treatment option for their cancer. Radiation therapy is often not
appropriate for pregnant women, because the radiation can damage the cells of the developing baby.
Women who think they might be pregnant should discuss this with their doctor.

Radiation oncology nurses work together with the radiation oncologist and therapists to care for you
and your family during your consult, treatments and follow-up care. They will explain possible
side effects and what to expect during your course of therapy.