How Long Does Chemotherapy Take

How long does chemotherapy take?

In modern times Chemotherapy has become the ultimate attempt to cure for Cancer with the advances in the world of medicine. In this treatment the drug called Cyto-toxics are used to reduce the growth of cancer cells in the body of the patient suffering from cancer. To understand how long chemotherapy takes it is important to know that there are two types of Cancers; Benign & Malignant. Although benign cancer is not technically fatal it can lead to a serious condition in patients. This kind of cancer forms a tumor and does not spread with blood cells to the other parts of the body so can usually be isolated and cured through removal and/or treatment.

The Benign cancer cells grow at one place and can cause harm if they are formed in any internal organs or in the Brain of the patient. This kind of cancer can be operated upon to remove the tumor. The other kind of Cancer; Malignant is far more dangerous from its other counterpart. This cancer has the tendency to spread across the body from the source of its growth through the fluids of the body like blood etc. The latter type of cancer is mostly cured by the technique of Chemotherapy no matter how long does chemotherapy take.

Regarding how long does chemotherapy take, in chemotherapy the drugs travel through the blood stream of the patient and reach the cancer cells in the various tissues and organs which have cancer. These drugs then divide the cancer cells and injure them rapidly. But it is to be considered that these drugs do not differentiate between the cancer cells and the normal cells, so some of the normal cells also get damaged during chemotherapy which is a side-effect of this treatment. Yet because of the fact that Cancer cells do not regenerate rapidly helps the normal cells to recover faster and by the time the next session of chemotherapy takes place more and more cancer cells are destroyed.

How long does chemotherapy take completely depends on the kind of cancer the patient is suffering from and the type of drugs that are being used for the treatment. The treatment can be of daily routine, weekly routine, monthly routine and so on. How long does chemotherapy take is also dependant on the rest period between each session of the chemotherapy course. The fact that normal cells need time to recover is why chemotherapy is given in courses. So if it takes more time for your body to recover then the next session of chemotherapy gets delayed. The types of chemotherapy that people go for are: Intravenously; Oral tablets; through injections or as Cream.

Either ways how long does chemotherapy take is totally up to what the doctor feels is right for the kind of cancer the patient is suffering from. Normally people have the treatment sessions over 6 to 12 months to complete all the chemotherapy courses; however the period may be longer or shorter for other people taking several months to years.

How Long Does Chemotherapy Take