Define chemotherapy

Chemotherapy brain fog (chemo brain) happens when coping with cancer or cancer treatment affects your ability to remember and act on information. Usually, chemotherapy brain fog is a short-term issue, but some people may have symptoms for months after they’ve finished treatment. There isn’t a cure for chemotherapy brain fog, but medication, therapy and activities may help. Overview What is chemotherapy brain fog (chemo brain)? Chemotherapy brain fog, or chemo brain, is feeling as if you can’t think as quickly and as clearly as you did before you had cancer or received cancer treatment. Healthcare providers may refer to this condition as Most of the time, chemo brain is a short-term issue, but some people may have the symptoms for months after they’ve finished treatment. Healthcare providers can’t cure chemotherapy brain fog, but they can recommend medications or therapy and activities that may help lift the fog of chemo brain. How does chemo brain affect everyday life? Chemotherapy brain fog affects cognition. Cognition is how we think, how we remember information and our ability to concentrate. Cognition issues related to cancer treatment may show up in small ways. Many times, people can manage everyday tasks, but feel those tasks require more concentration and take more time. Sometimes, chemo brain fog makes people feel self-conscious about their cognitive issues, so they become more isolated. Chemotherapy brain fog often affects people’s ability to function in the workp...

Overview Cancer treatment is the use of surgery, radiation, medications and other therapies to cure a cancer, shrink a cancer or stop the progression of a cancer. Many cancer treatments exist. Depending on your particular situation, you may receive one treatment or you may receive a combination of treatments. Why it's done The goal of cancer treatment is to achieve a cure for your cancer, allowing you to live a normal life span. This may or may not be possible, depending on your specific situation. If a cure isn't possible, your treatments may be used to shrink your cancer or slow the growth of your cancer to allow you to live symptom free for as long as possible. Cancer treatments may be used as: • Primary treatment. The goal of a primary treatment is to completely remove the cancer from your body or kill all the cancer cells. Any cancer treatment can be used as a primary treatment, but the most common primary cancer treatment for the most common types of cancer is surgery. If your cancer is particularly sensitive to radiation therapy or chemotherapy, you may receive one of those therapies as your primary treatment. • Adjuvant treatment. The goal of adjuvant therapy is to kill any cancer cells that may remain after primary treatment in order to reduce the chance that the cancer will recur. Any cancer treatment can be used as an adjuvant therapy. Common adjuvant therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy is similar, but treat...

What is targeted therapy? Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs designed to "target" cancer cells without affecting normal cells. Cancer cells typically have changes in their genes that make them different from normal cells. Genes are part of a cell's DNA that tell the cell to do certain things. When a cell has certain gene changes, it doesn't behave like a normal cell. For example, gene changes in cancer cells might allow the cell to grow and divide very quickly. These types of changes are what make it a cancer cell. But there are many different types of cancer, and not all cancer cells are the same. For example, colon cancer and breast cancer cells have different gene changes that help them grow and/or spread. Even among different people with the same general type of cancer (such as colon cancer), the cancer cells can have different gene changes, making one person's specific type of colon cancer different from another person's. Researchers have also learned that the environment in which different cancers start, grow, and thrive are not always the same. For example, some cancers have certain types of proteins or enzymes send certain messages to tell the cancer cell to grow and copy itself. Knowing these detailshas led to the development of drugs that can “target” these proteins or enzymes and block the messages being sent. Targeted drugs can block or turn off signals that make cancer cells grow, or can signal the cancer cells to destroy themselves...

Share on Pinterest FatCamera/Getty Images There are many different types of treatment for cancer. Some are curative, while some are Palliative care is treatment used to provide symptom relief and improve quality of life. It’s not used to cure an illness. While palliative care is often thought of as part of end-of-life care, it can also be used alongside curative treatment and at any time during an illness. In cancer care, palliative chemotherapy may be part of your treatment. The goals of palliative chemotherapy look different from that of chemotherapy meant to cure someone of their cancer. In this article, we’ll look at palliative chemotherapy, pros and cons, and when it’s typically used. • to treat cancer and keep it from coming back • to help shrink the cancer, reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and possibly prolong life When chemotherapy is used in the second situation, it’s called palliative chemotherapy. Palliative chemotherapy is typically used when the cancer has spread and chemotherapy is not being used to cure the cancer. The main goal of palliative treatment is to improve quality of life. By its very As with any medical treatment, there are pros and cons to palliative chemotherapy. The decision to prescribe palliative chemotherapy can be a difficult one. The decision to prescribe palliative chemotherapy needs to be weighed against: • life expectancy • current symptoms • whether side effects would reduce, rather than improve, quality of life Talking with y...