Chemotherapy is an effective treatment used in all the other cancer treatments to stop the growth of cancer cells. You can take this treatment on a monthly basis or you may take intravenously. Duration of the chemotherapy depends on the type of drugs as well as the type of cancer to cure.
This treatment is used before or after surgery while treating pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and likewise any other cancer which need surgery. Your doctor or care giver decides the duration and the type of chemotherapy you will receive.
Radiation is helpful to lower the cancer pain in some circumstances. The pains those spread to bones, blood vessels, brain, nerves, spine etc are treated by radiation chemotherapy. It also used to reduce the size of tumor which helps to reduce pressure on organs and nerves.
The specialist who gives this treatment is called as radiation oncologist and he decides the dosage of radiation and oversees the treatment. Implantation is also used for radiation and in this technique the radio active material helps to kill cancer cells.
Radiotherapy or chemotherapy is mostly given after surgery. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy reduce the risk of comeback of breast cancer. It is given concurrently or sequentially means one after the other. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy together are more useful than using them individually.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy must be given within a period of seven months after surgery. The treatment could be taken as outpatient and so it is not required to admit in the hospital. Radiation is a therapy in which high energy X-rays are used to destroy cancer cells. The fix amount of radiation is directed for local lymph-nodes and tumor. But generally most of the patients are given low doses of radiation along with chemotherapy, which help to increase the positive result of the treatment.
There are some side effects of radiation including skin irritation and redness and in order to avoid these side effects, you can use skin creams after consulting your doctor. It also includes other side effects like omitting, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, hair loss, weight loss, fatigue, decreased appetite and abdominal cramping etc. There are some medicines available in the market to prevent the side effects and you can take them along with your chemo treatment after consulting with your doctor.
