• The drugs can be given quickly through IV tubing directly from a syringe over a few minutes; this is called an "IV push."
• An IV infusion can last 30 minutes to a few hours. A mixed drug solution flows from a plastic bag.
• Continuous infusions are sometimes necessary and can last from 1 to 7 days.

Catheters and needles can scar or weaken veins after several chemotherapy sessions. Another option is the central venous catheter (CVC). The CVC is a catheter that is surgically placed in the chest or upper arm area, and can stay in place to give access to a large vein. Routine blood work can be drawn from these catheters. Drugs can be injected directly into the CVC, or through an IV connected to the CVC, whenever you go for treatment. Many different kinds of CVCs are available. Many people discuss this option with their doctor even before beginning treatment. Some find out during treatment that they must have a CVC because their hand and arm veins are not good enough to complete the planned chemotherapy. Your doctor can help determine the need for and the right type of CVC for you.

Depending on the drug and where the cancer is located, your chemotherapy also may be given in one or more of the following ways:

• Orally or PO – This means “by mouth.” You swallow the drug in a pill, capsule, or liquid form just as you do other medicines. This method is usually more convenient and may be less expensive because the drugs can be taken at home. If you take chemotherapy drugs by mouth, it is very important to take the exact dosage, at the right time, for as long as it has been prescribed for you. For more information please call 1-800-ACS-2345 and ask for Oral Chemotherapy: What You Need to Know.
• Intravenous or IV – The chemotherapy is injected through a needle or catheter into a vein. 
• Intrathecal or IT – The drug is injected into the spinal canal. You may either get an injection directly into your spine or into a surgically placed cerebrospinal fluid reservoir or port under your scalp (called an Omaya reservoir). This small drum-like device has a small tube attached to it that goes in to the cerebrospinal fluid in your spinal canal. 
• Intra-arterial – The chemotherapy drug is injected directly into an artery to treat a single area (such as the liver, an arm, or leg). This method limits the effect of the drug on other parts of the body. 
• Intracavitary – Chemotherapy drugs are given through a catheter into the abdominal cavity (the space around the bowels and other organs in the belly) or chest cavity (the space around the lungs and other organs in the chest.) 
• Intramuscular or IM – The drug is injected through a needle into a muscle. 
• Intralesional – The drug is injected through a needle directly into a tumor in the skin, under the skin, or in an internal organ. 
• Topical – The medicine is applied directly to an area of cancer on the skin.

Revised: 03/08/2008