CONDUCTING CHEMOTHERAPY

General

Since the Cytostatics (cell) toxic Medication that are effectively the tumor Doing harm, but also affecting healthy cells while performing chemotherapy, must be given time to recover. That's why you give the chemotherapy not every day, like many other drugs, but in so-called cycles. This means that the cytostatics are given at certain time intervals, but the body is given time to regenerate in the intervals in between.

Of course, the tumor also has time to recover here, but it is nowhere near as good as normal cells. When performing chemotherapy, one tries to kill more and more tumor cells than can then grow back during the recovery phase. How exactly the time intervals (the treatment regimen) are chosen varies from patient to patient.
Usually, however, the patient goes through at least 2 cycles before decisive success (a reduction in the size of the tumor (diagnosed by imaging procedures such as CT, MRI) or an improvement in the symptoms) can be demonstrated. The dosage of the cytostatic drugs is usually based on the body surface, and it must also be adapted to the liver and kidney values.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitors are also chemotherapeutic agents. In contrast to the classic chemotherapeutic agents, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors work in a targeted manner and thus cause fewer side effects. Read more about tyrosine kinase inhibitors and find out which cancers they can be used for at: Targeted chemotherapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Application forms / application

The Implementation of chemotherapy usually takes place in the hospital. This is necessary because the patient is constantly taking it medical observation have to be. The doctor needs to be sure that there are no unexpected Chemotherapy side effects occur. If the patient is in good general condition, he can go to a so-called day clinic for a few hours of chemotherapy and then go home. However, it is often important that patients stay in the hospital for a longer period of time (they are hospitalized). On the one hand, this allows the patient to be given a few extra infusions before chemotherapy is carried out, in order to better prepare the kidneys for the toxic ones Cytostatics to be able to leave faster (this is referred to as "Pre-watering"). On the other hand, you have the opportunity to regularly check kidney function and other important parameters by doing this blood of the patient examined. This blood test is also done before chemotherapy. Are not all the important values in order here (such as the white blood cells (Leukocytes)), the chemotherapy must be postponed.

Administration of the cytostatics

You can give cytostatics in 2 different ways:

In most cases, the administration is intravenous: To do this, the doctor has to puncture a vein on the arm and open an access (a catheter) lay. An alternative is the so-called port system, which usually goes into the vein under the collarbone (Subclavian vein) an indwelling catheter is placed, which is connected to a small box that is placed under the skin. This box can easily be reached from the outside. In this way you can avoid the constant painful puncture of a vein on the arm. Since the infusion into the vein is slow, the procedure takes a few hours. Too fast administration would overwhelm the body and lead to avoidable damage. You hardly notice that the chemoinfusion is running into you. However, if acute pain occurs in the arm or elsewhere, the doctor must be informed immediately, as this should be examined immediately.

The so-called bolus is also given via the vein, during which an increased amount of the substance enters the body quickly (1-10 min). A high concentration of the substance in the body is achieved here in a short time.

Oral application: means taking tablets. However, this procedure can only be used with a few substances. Although they are taken by mouth, the active components of the medication also end up in the blood, which means that they also have a systemic effect. Of course, the advantage of this method is that patients avoid the tedious and painful process of intravenous administration.

Finally, it should be mentioned that often preventive (prophylacticAnti-nausea drugs are given in parallel with or before chemotherapy.