More information about chemotherapy
For more general information about how chemotherapy is used to treat cancer, see Chemotherapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
Chemotherapy (chemo) is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancer. The drugs can be taken by mouth as pills or injected by needle into a vein or muscle. These drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach almost all areas of the body, making this treatment useful for killing cancer cells in most parts of the body. This makes chemo a useful treatment for cancer that has spread outside of the uterus.
Not all women with uterine sarcoma will need chemo, but there are a few situations in which chemo might be recommended:
Chemo may not work for certain types of uterine sarcoma. And some types of uterine sarcoma have been found to respond better to certain drugs and drug combinations. The role of chemo, as well as the best chemo drugs to use are not clear. Still, a lot of clinical trials are looking at this.
Some of the drugs commonly used to treat uterine sarcomas include:
Sometimes, more than one drug is used. For example, gemcitabine and docetaxel are often used together to treat leiomyosarcoma.
These drugs kill cancer cells but can also damage some normal cells. This is what causes many side effects. Side effects of chemo depend on the specific drugs, the amount taken, and the length of time you are treated.
Many side effects are short-term and go away after treatment is finished, but some can last a long time or even be permanent. It's important to tell your health care team if you have any side effects, as there are often ways to lessen them.
Some common chemo side effects include:
Chemo can damage the blood-producing cells of the bone marrow, leading to low blood cell counts. This can cause:
Some side effects from chemotherapy can last a long time. For example, the drug doxorubicin can damage the heart muscle over time. The chance of heart damage goes up as the total dose of the drug goes up, so doctors limit how much doxorubicin can be given.
For more general information about how chemotherapy is used to treat cancer, see Chemotherapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
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Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
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Last Revised: September 20, 2022
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