Oral Chemotherapy
GENERAL INFORMATION:
What is oral chemotherapy?
- Oral chemotherapy (kee-moh-THER-ah-pee) is one way to give chemotherapy (chemo). Chemotherapy is medicine used to treat cancer. There are many ways to use chemotherapy. Depending on the kind of chemotherapy you need, your caregiver may decide that oral chemo is the way you should be treated.
- Oral chemotherapy is when you take your chemotherapy by mouth. You may have pills or capsules to take. Your caregiver will tell you how many to take and when to take them. You must follow your caregiver's instructions, and take the medicine exactly as your caregiver tells you to. Oral chemotherapy can be taken at home. How long you will need to take your oral chemo will depend on the kind of cancer you have. It will also depend on the type of chemotherapy medicine that is needed to treat you.
How will my caregiver decide if I should use oral chemotherapy? Oral chemo may be right for some people, but not for others. Oral chemotherapy may have bad side effects. It also needs to be taken as ordered by your caregiver so that it can help cure your cancer. If you do not take it as instructed, your cancer may not get better. Other questions your caregiver may ask are:
- Do you come to your scheduled appointments?
- Do you ask questions about your cancer and treatment?
- Do you understand your illness? Will you report any bad or harmful side effects if you have them?
- How long will you need to use oral chemotherapy?
- How many chemotherapy medicines will you need to use?
- How much do you want to help yourself get better?
- Do you have friends or family that can help you with your treatment?
- What is your relationship with your caregiver?
- Can you take oral medicines without a problem?
- Do you have other medical conditions?
- Do you have other health problems that could stop you from following your caregiver's instructions? Could your other health problems make you forget to take your oral chemo?
How do I use my oral chemotherapy? Your caregiver will give you special orders for the oral chemo medicine. You will have specific instructions on how and when to take your medicine. Take it exactly as your caregiver tells you to. Another specially trained caregiver may visit you at your home after you have started using the oral chemotherapy. You may also need to see your caregiver more often until you feel comfortable using oral chemotherapy.
What is chemotherapy? Chemotherapy is also called "chemo". It is a special medicine used to fight cancer. Chemo can cure some cancers. Chemo may also help you live longer if you have cancer. Chemo cannot cure all kinds of cancers. There are many different kinds of chemo. Sometimes chemo can make you feel sick. Your caregiver will decide what kind of chemo you will get and how you will get it. How often and how long you get chemo depends on the type of cancer you have. It also depends on the chemo medicines that are used and how your body handles the chemo.
How does chemotherapy work?
- In your body, there are healthy cells that divide and grow to make more healthy cells. Cancer cells do not divide and grow normally. Cancer cells multiply much more quickly than normal cells. This is how they take over normal cells. Your body cannot fight off these cancer cells because they grow so quickly.
- Chemotherapy prevents cancer cells from growing and dividing. Chemo may also help prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of your body. Chemo directly attacks these rapidly dividing cells. Chemo also harms healthy cells. Some healthy cells that may be harmed by chemo are hair and reproductive (ree-proh-DUK-tiv) cells. Reproductive cells are cells in your ovaries (OH-var-ees) or testicles (TES-ti-kls). These cells will usually repair themselves when you are done with chemo.
How long will I need to use oral chemotherapy?
- Your caregiver will decide how long you need to use oral chemo. The kind of cancer you have will affect how long you need to use chemo. Different chemo medicines may be used together. For some people, combining chemo medicines may decrease the amount of time the medicine is needed.
- You may get oral chemo every day, week, or once or twice a month. You may get it several times a day. You may need to use chemo for several months or longer. Chemo is often given in cycles. This means that you will use chemo for a period of time, and then you will have a break from it. This allows your body to grow new, healthy cells.
How will I feel after I get my oral chemotherapy? You may be tired for a few days or longer after you begin chemo. You may be too tired to go to work or do any other activities. You may also feel nauseated (sick to your stomach) or you may vomit (throw up). Follow your caregiver's instructions about rest and activity after chemo treatments.
What are side effects of chemotherapy? Chemo can have many different side effects. You may have one or more of these side effects, or you may have none of them. Most chemo side effects are short-term, and will go away after the treatments are done. Possible side effects from chemo may include:
- Blood problems: Chemo may change the amount of certain blood cells in your body. These cells are called white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Your blood may not have enough red blood cells because of your chemo treatments. This is called anemia (ah-NEE-mee-uh). Your blood may not clot as well once you start chemo. Clotting is how fast you stop bleeding. You may also bruise easier than normal. Blood cell changes can cause serious health problems. Your caregiver will do blood tests to check these blood cells and find any problems early.
- Diarrhea (deye-ah-REE-ah) or constipation (kon-sti-PAY-shun): Chemo can affect your intestines (bowel). You may have diarrhea (loose stools) or constipation (having hard BMs, less often than usual). Let your caregiver know if you have diarrhea for more than 24 hours. Let your caregiver know if you have pain and cramping with your diarrhea. Also let your caregiver know if you do not have a BM for several days.
- Fatigue: You may feel fatigued (very tired) after you get chemo. This may happen suddenly or over time. Your fatigue may not be relieved with rest or naps. Fatigue can last for days, weeks, or months.
- Flu-like symptoms: You may feel like you have the flu after you get a chemo treatment. You may have chills, a fever, or muscle and joint aches. These may last for a few days.
- Hair loss: This can be a common side effect of chemo. Your hair may become thinner or fall out. Hair loss may happen anywhere on your body that you have hair. It can happen right after you begin chemo, or several weeks later. Your hair will usually grow back when you stop your chemo treatments.
- Infection (in-FEK-shun): Chemo harms healthy white blood cells. A decrease in healthy white blood cells puts you at risk for infection. Ask your caregiver about protecting yourself from infection.
- Kidney or bladder problems: Some types of chemo may cause bladder or kidney infections. It may also cause permanent (life-long) damage to your kidneys or bladder.
- Mouth, gum, and throat problems: You may notice that you have sores in your mouth or throat. You may also notice white patches in your throat. Ask your caregiver about ways to prevent these problems.
- Nausea or vomiting: You may have nausea and vomiting with your chemo. There are special medicines that your caregiver can give you to help decrease these side effects.
- Nerve and muscle problems: Chemo can cause the nerves in your body to hurt, feel weak, burn, or tingle. This is usually not a sign of serious problems, but may be hard to live with. These symptoms usually go away after you are done with chemo. It may take a year or more for these symptoms to go away or get better.
- Pain: Chemo can cause many side effects that cause pain. Tell your caregiver about any pain that does not go away, or gets worse.
- Poor appetite: You may not feel like eating. Ask your caregiver about what you can do to have a balanced and healthy diet.
- Problems with memory or mood: Chemo may make you feel depressed (very sad) or confused. Talk to family, friends and your caregiver about your feelings. Caregivers may suggest ways to help you cope with your treatment, and feel better.
- Sexual problems: Chemo can affect your sexual organs. In women, their menstrual (MEN-stroo-al) cycle (monthly periods) may change or stop. There may be vaginal (VAJ-i-nal) dryness, which may cause pain or discomfort with sexual intercourse (sex). There may also be hot flashes. A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat that spreads throughout your body. It may be dangerous for a woman to become pregnant. Men may not be able to have or keep an erection (ee-REK-shun). Both men and women may be unable to have a child. Ask your caregiver for more information about sexual function while using chemo.
- Skin problems: Chemo can cause dry skin. It can also cause other skin problems such as a rash, itching, redness, and sensitivity to the sun. Your nails may also peel, become yellow, or cracked.
What tests or treatments may I need while I get oral chemotherapy? You may need several different tests or treatments during your chemo. Tests will help your caregivers see how the chemo is working. It will also allow your caregiver to see how your body is handling the chemo. Your caregiver may order one or more of the following:
- Blood tests: You may need blood taken for tests. The blood can be taken from a blood vessel in your hand, arm, or the bend in your elbow. It is tested to see how your body is doing. It can give your caregivers more information about your health condition. You may need to have blood drawn more than once.
- Blood culture: Your blood may be tested to see if there is infection in it. You may need to have your blood tested more than one time.
- CT scan: This test is also called a "CAT" scan. A special x-ray machine uses a computer to take pictures of your cancer. Your caregivers look at the pictures. Before taking the pictures, you may be given dye through an IV in your vein. The dye helps the cancer show up better in the pictures. People who are allergic to shellfish (lobster, crab, or shrimp) may be allergic to this dye. Tell your caregiver if you are allergic to shellfish.
- Vital signs: This includes taking your temperature, blood pressure, pulse (counting your heartbeat), and respirations (counting your breaths). To take your blood pressure, a cuff is put on your arm and tightened. The cuff is attached to a machine which gives your blood pressure reading. Caregivers may listen to your heart and lungs by using a stethoscope. Your vital signs are taken so caregivers can see how you are doing.
- Chest x-ray: This is a picture of your lungs and heart. Caregivers use it to see how your lungs and heart are doing. Caregivers may use the x-ray to look for signs of infection like pneumonia, or to look for collapsed lungs. Chest x-rays may show tumors, broken ribs, or fluid around the heart and lungs.
- Blood Transfusion: You may need a blood transfusion (trans-FU-zhun) if your chemo hurts your blood cells. You may ask a family member or friend with the same blood type to donate blood for you. This is called directed blood donation. Many people are worried about getting AIDS, hepatitis, or West Nile Virus from a blood transfusion. The risk of this happening is rare. Blood banks test all donated blood for AIDS, hepatitis, and West Nile Virus. If you refuse a blood transfusion, your condition may get worse, and you may die.
Risks: There are risks with getting oral chemotherapy. You could have a bad reaction to the chemo. You may develop a bad infection in your mouth or other parts of your body. Chemo can permanently damage (hurt) many organs in your body. The chemo may not work well for you, and the cancer could spread to other places in your body. A new cancer could grow. You may need to receive chemo a different way, such as through a blood vessel instead of by mouth. If you choose not to get chemo, your cancer could spread more quickly. You could die sooner. Ask your caregiver if you have any questions or concerns about your cancer or treatments.
Support: You and your family may feel scared, confused, and anxious after being told you have cancer. Getting chemo is very frightening. These feelings are common. Talk about them with your caregiver or with someone close to you. For more information, you may call or write:
- American Cancer Society
Phone: 1-800-227-2345
Web Address: http://www.cancer.org
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.
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