Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treats cancer with medications. It may be one drug or a combination of drugs. It is sometimes used alone or in combination with surgery or radiation therapy. Because chemotherapy may act on normal cells as well as cancer cells, side effects are common. Chemotherapy may be administered by injection into a vein (IV), by mouth in a pill form, or as a wafer implanted in the brain. Chemotherapy is given in treatment cycles, and the schedule depends on the particular type of chemotherapy. Patients are monitored with scans after a specified number of cycles.
Possible side effects of chemotherapy may include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, infection, bleeding, anemia, and hair loss.