Wilson Memorial General Hospital

What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells (including leukaemias and lymophomas). There are over 50 different chemotherapy drugs and some are given on their own, but often several drugs may be combined (this is known as combination chemotherapy).

The type of treatment you are given for your cancer depends on many things, particularly the type of disease you have, where in the body it started, what the cancer cells look like under the microscope and how far they have spread, if at all.

How do chemotherapy drugs work?

Chemotherapy drugs interfere with the ability of a cancer cell to divide and reproduce itself. As the drugs are carried in the blood, they can reach cancer cells all over the body. The chemotherapy drugs are taken up by dividing cells, including some normal cells such as the lining of the mouth, the bone marrow (which makes blood cells), the hair follicles, and the digestive system. Healthy cells can repair the damage caused by chemotherapy but cancer cells cannot and so they eventually die.

Chemotherapy drugs damage cancer cells in different ways. If a combination of drugs is used, each drug is chosen because of its different effects. Unfortunately, as the chemotherapy drugs can also affect some of the normal cells in your body, they can also cause unpleasant side effects. However, damage to the normal cells is usually temporary and most side effects will disappear once the treatment is over.

Chemotherapy has to be carefully planned so that it destroys more and more of the cancer cells during the course of treatment, but does not destroy the normal cells and tissues.

For more information about Wilson Memorial General Hospital's Chemotherapy Services, please feel free to call Sheryl Lees at (807)229-1740 Ext. 318