Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill cancer cells. It is sometimes given before surgery to try and shrink the tumour before surgery is performed (called neoadjuvant treatment), and often given after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may have been left behind (known as adjuvant treatment). For patients with more advanced cancer, chemotherapy is sometimes used to try and shrink the tumour and slow down the progress of disease.

Chemotherapy is given orally (via tablets ) or intravenously (into a vein). Chemotherapy can cause unpleasant side effects, including tiredness, nausea and hair loss. These may be controlled with medicines and usually go away once treatment has finished.