What signs should I look for to know that the chemotherapy is working?

 

Ask a Question

Q: What signs should I look for to know that the chemotherapy is working?

A: This is the question that most patients and families want answered, especially at the beginning of treatment. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells at the molecular level. Even though treatment starts working right away, cell kill cannot be measured for a significant amount of time. You will go through several treatment cycles before your doctor will order scans to detect response.

Your health care team may be able to give you a general timetable for monitoring response, but that can change. Often before your scans are ordered, you’ll feel a difference internally. Remember, you are the expert on how you are feeling. Your input is vital as you partner with your health care team.

--Kathy Newman, RN, BSN

Understand some of the basics about chemotherapy.

Latest Cancer News
Gallstones a risk factor for colon tumors

December 4, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with gallstones appear to be at increased risk for colon tumors called adenomas, which frequently develop into cancer over time if they are not removed, findings published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology indicate.

Head and neck cancer worse in blacks

December 4, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - African Americans and economically disadvantaged patients face a worse prognosis than other patients with head and neck cancer, according to a report in the journal Cancer.

Cancer patients' depression tied to family woes

December 4, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treating cancer patients' depression may help their children stay mentally healthy too, new research in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health