Inova Cancer Services offers dedicated medical oncology units staffed by physicians and nurses with special expertise in oncology and cancer care. These professionals are highly experienced in chemotherapy and its side effects, radiation therapy, pain management and cancer education. Your medical oncologist consults with radiation therapists and surgeons about your overall treatment plan and determines the proper medications and dosage. Search online for an Inova medical oncologist 
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. Chemotherapy has been used for many years and is one of the most common treatments for cancer. In most cases, chemotherapy works by interfering with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells. Chemotherapy services are available at all Inova locations.
Chemotherapy may be used alone for some types of cancer or in combination with other treatments such as radiation or surgery.
Chemotherapy is given:
- As a pill to swallow
- As an injection into the muscle or fat tissue
- Intravenously (directly into the bloodstream; also called IV)
- Topically (applied to the skin)
- Directly into a body cavity
Side effects and chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a highly effective treatment for many types of cancer. But the cancer-fighting drugs travel to all parts of the body, not just to the cancer cells. As a result, some patients experience side effects.
There are more than 50 chemotherapy drugs commonly used to treat cancer. Each person reacts differently to treatment, which is why side effects range from mild to severe. Some people experience no side effects at all.
Talk with your cancer care team and learn about potential side effects before you begin treatment. Armed with this information, you and your caregivers will be better prepared to minimize, or even prevent, side effects.
Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, confusion, headaches, sores in the mouth, redness or dryness of the mouth, diarrhea or constipation and hair loss.
Hormone therapy adds, blocks or removes hormones. For certain conditions such as diabetes or menopause, hormones are given to adjust low hormone levels. To slow or stop the growth of certain cancers such as prostate and breast cancer, synthetic hormones or other drugs may be given to block the body’s natural hormones. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove the gland that produces a particular hormone.
Hormone therapy as a cancer treatment is available at Inova Alexandria Cancer Center and Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center.
