Coping With Chemo

What you need to know? Chemotherapy drugs can be life-saving – but often come with side effects.

Nearly 1.7 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the US each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Many are treated with chemotherapy, but the drugs used may cause side effects that impact your quality of life. Fortunately, both medical and non-medical interventions can help cancer patients get through chemotherapy more comfortably. “The side effects caused by chemotherapy drugs are much easier to reduce and prevent than they were in the past,” says Luis Isola, MD, associate professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology at Mount Sinai. “It’s important to communicate with your doctor about any side effects you experience, so they can be addressed.”

What Chemo Does

Cancer cells divide quickly, and chemotherapy drugs are designed to prevent this division and kill the cells. Most cancer patients are given more than one chemotherapy drug, in treatment cycles that may last several days. Breaks are scheduled in between cycles to give your body the opportunity to recover and manufacture new, healthy cells to replace those destroyed by the chemotherapy.

Side Effects