Chemotherapy facts for kids

Different drugs used in a chemotherapy against Cancer.

Chemotherapy, often called 'chemo', is a way doctors use special chemical substances to treat different diseases. Most of the time, when people talk about chemotherapy, they mean the strong medicines used to fight cancer. These medicines are designed to attack and destroy fast-growing cells, like cancer cells.

Doctors have many types of chemotherapy medicines. They choose the best ones for each person and their specific type of cancer. Sometimes, different chemo drugs are used together. They might also be combined with other medicines to help a person get better.

If someone has surgery to remove a tumor, chemotherapy might be given before the surgery to shrink the tumor. It can also be given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Chemotherapy isn't just for cancer. It can also treat other diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, which is a condition that causes joint pain and swelling.

How Does Chemotherapy Work?

Chemotherapy medicines work by stopping cells from growing and dividing. Cancer cells grow and divide much faster than healthy cells. Chemo drugs target these fast-growing cells. This helps to shrink tumors or stop cancer from spreading.

What are the Side Effects of Chemo?

Because chemotherapy medicines are strong and target fast-growing cells, they can also affect some healthy cells in the body that grow quickly. This can lead to some common side effects:

• Hair and Nail Changes: People might lose their hair, or their nails might become weak or damaged.
• Weakened Immune System: Chemo can make it harder for the body to fight off infections. This is because it affects cells that help the immune system.
• Feeling Sick: Many people feel nausea (sick to their stomach) or vomit. Doctors often give medicines to help with these feelings.
• Tiredness: Feeling very tired is also common during chemotherapy treatment.

These side effects usually go away after the treatment finishes. Doctors and nurses work hard to help patients manage these effects and feel as comfortable as possible.

Related pages

• Pharmacotheraphy
• Radiotherapy
• Therapy

Images for kids

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  5-FU dose management results in significantly better response and survival rates versus BSA dosing.

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  5-FU dose management avoids serious side effects experienced with BSA dosing

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  Two DNA bases that are cross-linked by a nitrogen mustard. Different nitrogen mustards will have different chemical groups (R). The nitrogen mustards most commonly alkylate the N7 nitrogen of guanine (as shown here) but other atoms can be alkylated.

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  Vinca alkaloids prevent the assembly of microtubules, whereas taxanes prevent their disassembly. Both mechanisms cause defective mitosis.

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  Topoisomerase I and II Inhibitors

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  Two girls with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving chemotherapy. The girl on the left has a central venous catheter inserted in her neck. The girl on the right has a peripheral venous catheter. The arm board stabilizes the arm during needle insertion. Anti-cancer IV drip is seen at top right.

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  The four phases of the cell cycle. G1 – the initial growth phase. S – the phase in which DNA is synthesised. G2 – the second growth phase in preparation for cell division. M – mitosis; where the cell divides to produce two daughter cells that continue the cell cycle.

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  Sidney Farber did pioneering work in chemotherapy

See also

In Spanish: Quimioterapia para niños