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Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherapy is a powerful treatment that involves taking medications to damage cancerous cells. The goal is to prevent these cells from dividing and multiplying.
Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent or it may aim to prolong life or to reduce symptoms.
A course of chemotherapy usually takes between 3 to 6 months, although it can be more or less than that. The treatment will include one or more chemotherapy drugs.
The length of time for chemotherapy regimens can range from 5 minutes to 8 or more hours. It all depends on the chemotherapy. Throughout the chemotherapy, your nurse will come in and check your vitals and make sure you aren't reacting to the medications.
Chemotherapy is most often given as an infusion into a vein (intravenously). The drugs can be given by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in your chest (a chemo PORT). Some chemotherapy drugs can be taken in pill or capsule form.
Here's a list of many of the common side effects, but it's unlikely you'll have all of these.