Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer by preventing them from growing and dividing. These drugs are systemic treatments that attack all rapidly dividing cells in the body, cancer cells and healthy cells.
There are two chemotherapy drugs that are approved for the treatment of pancreatic cancer:
- 5-Fluorouracil
- Gemcitabine
Doctors may use chemotherapy to try to:
- Shrink the tumor
- Destroy microscopic cancer cells that may have spread prior to surgery
- Relieve pain caused by the cancer
The patient can take chemotherapy drugs orally (by mouth) or through a vein into the bloodstream (intravenously). In some cases, doctors may need the patient to stay in hospital to monitor the treatment.
The chemotherapy side effects:
The following table explains the possible side effects of chemotherapy:
There are two chemotherapy drugs that are approved for the treatment of pancreatic cancer:
- 5-Fluorouracil
- Gemcitabine
Doctors may use chemotherapy to try to:
- Shrink the tumor
- Destroy microscopic cancer cells that may have spread prior to surgery
- Relieve pain caused by the cancer
The patient can take chemotherapy drugs orally (by mouth) or through a vein into the bloodstream (intravenously). In some cases, doctors may need the patient to stay in hospital to monitor the treatment.
The chemotherapy side effects:
The following table explains the possible side effects of chemotherapy: