Everything About Chemo Therapy - How To Prepare, Risks And Results

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in the body. It is most often used to treat cancer since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. There are different chemotherapy drugs available to treat different kinds of cancer. Chemotherapy may be given to cure cancer cells involving a combination of drugs, or it may aim to prolong life or to reduce symptoms. Several cycles make up a course of chemotherapy and a course usually lasts three months or more.

The actual chemotherapy process is usually painless. Some chemo drugs may cause a slight burning as they enter the vein but this is usually minor and tends to ease as the infusion progresses. The best way to prepare for chemotherapy is to drink lots of water, eat nourishing foods, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and go for a walk every day. Some other precautions one can take to prepare for chemotherapy are washing hands frequently with soap and water, using hand sanitizer, keeping household surfaces clean, and taking precautions in food preparation and cooking. Get the advice from hospitals who provide best treatment for cancer in India. Once the treatment for chemotherapy is over, it can take anywhere from about 21 to 28 days for the patient’s immune system to recover. 

Foods that patients should avoid during and after chemo are hot and spicy foods, high fiber foods, fat, greasy, or fried foods, nuts, seeds or dried fruits, and rich desserts. Patients can boost their immune system during chemotherapy by eating a nutritious diet, limiting contact with people who are sick, avoid touching animal waste, report signs of infection immediately, and consult the doctor about specific activities to strengthen the immune system. Foods that can boost the immune system during chemo are proteins found in seafood, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, lean meat, and beans. Vitamin A found in green or orange-colored fruits and vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, and apricots. Zinc found in lean meats, poultry, seafood, seeds, and nuts.

Some long-lasting and late-developing risks of chemotherapy can include lung, heart, and kidney problems, infertility, and nerve damage. Chemotherapy can also affect healthy cells that divide quickly, and that damage can cause side effects. Common side effects of chemotherapy drugs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, and mouth sores.  Chemotherapy helps patients live longer but many patients end up with no real benefit from enduring chemo after surgical removal of a tumor. It is hard to predict how much chemo will help prevent tumor recurrence or improve survival chances. 

Results of chemotherapy vary from patient to patient. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause long term problems with specific body organs. Some drugs can cause heart damage or lung damage and weakening of the heart muscle. After chemotherapy sessions, patients may have trouble concentrating or remembering things. There can also be nerve and muscle effects and hearing changes, and they can be at increased risk of infections. If you are looking for the best treatment for cancer in India, you can do an extensive online search and shortlist the cancer hospitals that offer world-class cancer treatments.