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Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill fast-growing cells (like cancer cells) or to keep them from dividing (which is how cancers grow). It is a systemic treatment. This means the medicines will travel throughout your body and destroy cancer cells wherever they may be.
Your Fred Hutch Cancer Center care team will talk with you about the specific chemotherapy medicines we recommend for you, how you’ll receive them, your treatment schedule and what to expect. We’ll also explain how to take the best possible care of yourself during chemotherapy and after. If you need help with side effects or have other issues, we’ll connect you with medical or support resources you may need throughout Fred Hutch.
Lung Cancer Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
How Chemotherapy is Used to Treat Lung Cancer
Chemotherapy for lung cancer is used at different times to achieve different goals. For instance, lung cancer patients often are given chemotherapy before surgery to help shrink any tumors they have, so they are easier to remove. After surgery, chemotherapy may also be used to kill any cancer cells that are remaining in a person’s body. When chemo is used to treat lung cancer, it is sometimes used in combination with other treatments, like radiation or immunotherapy.
How Chemotherapy is Given to Patients
Chemotherapy medications can be administered in different ways. At Fred Hutch, lung cancer chemotherapy is generally given every three to four weeks in cycles, either in pill form or through an intravenous (IV) line in the hand or arm or a portacath (port) in the chest.
A port is a small medical device implanted beneath the skin, typically in the chest just below the collarbone. A tube (catheter) connects the port to a vein. Chemotherapy drugs can be infused into the bloodstream through the port, and blood samples can be drawn out through the port as many times as needed, usually with less discomfort for patients than an IV insertion. A port is temporary and can be taken out after treatment ends.
What to Expect
Your Fred Hutch care team will talk with you about the specific chemotherapy medicines we recommend for you, how you’ll receive them, your treatment schedule and what to expect. We’ll also explain how to take the best possible care of yourself during chemotherapy and after. If you develop side effects or have other issues, we’ll connect you with medical or support resources at Fred Hutch. Chemotherapy treatments are given in the Infusion Services suite in the Sloan Clinic.
Watch a video tour of infusion services at Fred Hutch.
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer
At Fred Hutch, we are dedicated to providing leading-edge care that is based on the latest research findings. Our lung cancer program is staffed by experts in lung cancer care, and our researchers continue to study new ways to use chemotherapy and other treatments like immunotherapy to treat lung cancer.
Clinical trials at Fred Hutch may allow some patients access to a promising new treatment that isn't available everywhere else.
Some common side effects of chemotherapy for lung cancer patients include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores and a greater chance of infection. There are also potential side effects that are specific to individual chemotherapy drugs and treatment plans. Your Fred Hutch care team will discuss possible side effects with you before you begin treatment and what can be done to minimize the effects.
Regarding side effects, it may be helpful to know that in the past, it was hard to prevent nausea and vomiting in patients who were having chemotherapy. However, Gary Lyman, MD, a retired Fred Hutch oncologist, said this is no longer the case. “When it comes to nausea and vomiting, we have some very good drugs in this realm and we now can limit nausea and vomiting in the vast majority of patients. But it’s important to use them appropriately in a risk-based approach.”
Read more about side effects.