Chemotherapy (or chemo) is the use of drugs for treating cancer. Most often, the drugs are swallowed in pill form or injected into a vein or muscle. This is called systemic chemotherapy. If the chemotherapy is applied directly to the cancer, it is known as topical chemotherapy.

In systemic chemotherapy, the drug enters the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body to reach and destroy the cancer cells. So far, systemic chemotherapy has not been shown to work well in treating vaginal cancer. It may be helpful as a way to shrink tumors before surgery. Chemo is also sometimes given with radiation to make the radiation work better.

Systemic chemotherapy can reach cancer cells in just about any place inside the body, but the drugs can also affect some normal, healthy cells. This is what causes some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Careful attention is given to avoid or reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. These side effects depend on the type and dose of drugs given and the length of time they are taken.

Many of the drugs used in cancer chemotherapy are designed to attack cells that are rapidly dividing - such as cancer cells. However, the cells in some tissues also grow rapidly to replace cells that wear out. The cells of these tissues, such as the bone marrow, the lining of the mouth and intestines, and the hair follicles, are most likely to be affected by chemotherapy. This can lead to:

• hair loss
• mouth sores
• loss of appetite
• diarrhea
• nausea and vomiting
• lowered resistance to infection (due to low white blood cell counts)
• easy bruising or bleeding (due to low blood platelets)
• fatigue (due to low red blood cells)

These side effects are temporary and go away after treatment is finished.

Some chemo drugs can also cause long-term side effects. The drug cisplatin, for example, can damage nerves (called neuropathy). This can lead to decreased sensation, numbness, tingling, or even pain in the hands or feet. These symptoms may improve after treatment is stopped, but may never go away completely. If you will be getting chemo, it is important to talk with your doctor about the drugs you will get and what side effects to expect.

If you have side effects, your cancer care team can suggest steps to ease their impact. For example, drugs can be given along with the chemotherapy to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting.

In the past, chemotherapy has been mainly used to treat women with advanced cancer. Some doctors suggest that it be given along radiation for women with less advanced disease (like it is used for cervical cancer). Some small groups of patients have been reported to have been treated this way, but using combined chemo and radiation has not yet been compared to other, more standard treatments in a clinical trial.

When chemo is given, the treatment is similar to that used for cervical cancer. Drugs that have been used include cisplatin, fluorouracil (5-FU), paclitaxel (Taxol), and docetaxel (Taxotere).

Last Medical Review: 12/30/2008
Last Revised: 09/14/2009