All You Need To Know About Chemotherapy

All you want to know about chemotherapy, its benefits and side effects.

- Krysten Keymer

Dr Amol Akhade, consultant medical oncologist, hemato-oncologist, bone marrow transplant physician, Hiranandani Hospital (Powai), Mumbai, shares his knowledge on chemotherapy, to clear all the myths surrounding this painful but powerful treatment.

The general perception of chemotherapy

People are terrified of cancer. Women, especially, refrain from reporting lumps on the breast due to fear of the probability of their breast being removed. Often, people hesitate to take treatment during those first five to six months, which is the most crucial period after diagnosis, after which the disease advances.

The general perception is that cancer is equal to chemotherapy. Also, there is a lot of fear of chemo being very painful and causing undesirable side effects.

But why surgery is not enough

Surgery is necessary for all early stage solid tumors, but surgery alone is not sufficient.

Cancer is a systemic disease and even if the tumor is completely removed by surgery, some cancer cells go into circulation and create micro metastasis. These cells grow and cause systemic relapse or even eventual death. To kill these cells, chemotherapy is necessary even in early stage cancers.

If the tumor is not operable (if it’s stuck to the surrounding organs), then chemotherapy is absolutely required, along with other treatments. Any tumor more than 2.5 cms, requires surgery.

Process of chemotherapy