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The Role of Chemotherapy in Stopping Cancer From Spreading

Many of us are all too familiar with the weight that the “C” word carries when spoken in hushed tones. It’s a word that can be difficult to say out loud, let alone discuss. But there’s another “C” word—one that can be daunting yet also offers hope. Chemotherapy may not be an easy journey, but its role in slowing or stopping the spread of cancer is powerful and life-saving.

What Is Chemo?

Chemotherapy is a drug designed to treat and kill cancer cells. It is used by physicians like the ones at South Carolina Oncology Associates to:

Destroy cancer cells
Shrink cancerous tumors
Prevent cancer from spreading or metastasizing to other parts of the body
Cure cancer
Relieve discomfort from a growing tumor

How Is Chemotherapy Used?

Your oncologist may use Chemo in different ways. There are four main types:

Curative therapy is typically used with radiation and surgery to remove the cancer so it doesn’t return.
Adjuvant therapy destroys the cancer cells after surgery or radiation.
Neoadjuvant therapy shrinks a tumor before surgery or radiation.
Palliative therapy shrinks a tumor, lessens your symptoms, but does not cure the cancer.

In addition to these types of chemotherapy, your oncologist may choose to include other forms of treatment depending on the type, stage, and location of the cancer. These can include surgery, radiation therapy, and/or immunotherapy.

The Miracle of Chemo

Cancer cells multiply quickly and uncontrollably. Chemo kills cancer cells in the process of dividing into two new ones.

Different kinds of chemo drugs will damage what causes the cells to develop, will interrupt the process of cell division, will damage the cells before they divide, and also damage the cells at the point of division.

Another largely unknown factor about chemo is that it is a systemic treatment meaning it travels throughout the body wherever cancer has spread or metastasized. It can still kill cancer cells that have spread from the original source.

Whereas other treatments like surgery or radiation are considered local treatments. They only treat the areas where the tumor is located and only in one part of the body.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of side effects, chemotherapy has been an effective cancer treatment for many decades. It can cure your cancer or provide a better quality of life by reducing symptoms. It can also make surgery and radiation therapy more effective.