Chemotherapy or popular as chemo refers to cancer treatment that includes drugs to kill the cancerous cells.
Chemotherapy price in Philippines varies because there are many chemotherapy types to treat cancer. Chemo often becomes an alternative for patients if they do not undergo surgery.
Most likely, patients get more than one chemotherapy treatment based on a doctor’s prescription.
Each chemo uses different drugs, chemical composition, and the way to give it. Below is brief information about chemotherapy meaning and other crucial things you need to know about this treatment.
What is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a type of chemical drug therapy that aims to destroy uncontrollable growing cells in the body.
Doctors usually give this treatment to treat cancer because cancer cells multiply faster than other cells.
Chemotherapy drugs are available in many types, either alone or in combination with other therapies.
That is why those types vary in chemotherapy price in Philippines. A combination of chemo and other therapy depends on some factors like cancer type and stage, cancerous cells location, overall health condition, previous cancer treatment received, and patient’s personal preference for the treatment.
What Chemotherapy Does to the Body?
Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells by targeting them at different phases during the cell cycle. Cancer cell formation undergoes the same cycle as normal body cells.
Chemo drugs travel across the body to find cancer cells. Each chemo will treat these cells differently.
Chemo drugs target cancerous cells better than normal ones because their growing nature is more rapid than normal cells.
Chemotherapy radiation can shrink tumors, slow their growth, and lessen their possibility of returning to the body.
Types of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy cost affects by the type of chemotherapy given. Generally, there are two types of chemo.
The first type is standard chemo which works by killing cancerous cells and can kill normal cells. The second type is targeted therapy which uses drugs to kill cancerous cells.
How Chemotherapy are Given
How chemotherapy given to patients is available in various ways as follows:
- Oral chemotherapy: it requires patients to swallow capsules, pills, or liquid medicine.
- Intravenous (IV) chemotherapy: doctor performs this chemo by infusing drugs directly into the vein.
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: doctor gives this treatment before the primary therapy.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy: opposite to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it is an additional treatment received by patients after primary therapy.
- Injection chemotherapy: doctor does this chemo by giving a shot in the muscle in a specific body part, most likely the fatty part.
- Topical chemotherapy: this chemo requires a specific cream application to the skin.
- Intrathecal chemotherapy: it includes drug injection between tissue layers covering the space between the brain and spinal cord.
- Intra-arterial (IA) chemotherapy: it requires drug injection directly to the artery that triggers cancer growth.
- Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy: it performs chemo that transfers directly to the peritoneal area containing vital organs like the liver and intestines.
Among those types, intravenous (IV) becomes the most frequent option on how is chemotherapy done. However, doctors usually examine patients’ conditions to choose the most suitable way of giving chemo drugs.
Chemotherapy Procedures
Aside from chemotherapy price in Philippines, chemo procedures to take is another crucial consideration. Doctors typically give chemo orally or directly inject it into the vein.
However, you and your doctor can consider other chemo procedures to treat your cancer.
Where you receive the chemo depends on the selected chemo delivery type. For instance, chemotherapy leukemia likely occurs at a hospital or cancer treatment center.
If it includes topical or oral treatment, a doctor can combine hospital and home treatments as patients can take the drugs themselves.
How much is Chemotherapy in Philippines
The price of chemotherapy in the Philippines depends on some crucial factors. The price determines by the types and doses, chemo time, where the chemo takes place, and your living location.
The price range of chemotherapy in Philippines is ₱ 20,000 to ₱ 120,000 per session.
With a variety of chemotherapy prices in this country, discussing with your doctor before taking this treatment is very necessary.
Your doctor will help you to choose the best chemo type that fits your health conditions and budget.
Chemotherapy Side Effects
Chemotherapy can effectively kill cancer cells but also affects normal cells and causes side effects. Thus, besides chemotherapy price in Philippines, you must consider the possible side effects.
There are a variety of chemotherapy side effects.
Each patient may experience different side effects after receiving chemo. Typical chemotherapy side effects are fever, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, excessive bleeding, insomnia, hair loss, weight loss, and many more. The most common chemo side effect is fatigue.
Most chemo side effects lessen when the treatment is complete. However, there is a potential for long-term side effects that develop years after you receive chemo treatment. This long-term effect can damage vital organs like the lungs, kidneys, heart, nerves, and reproductive organs.
FAQ
Is getting chemo painful?
It depends on the chemo procedure given. Drug-based chemo, orally or injected, is not typically painful but may cause discomfort and short-term side effects like mouth sores and headaches. However, some chemo drugs to treat breast cancer can cause bone and joint pain.
Do people survive after chemo?
Most patients can survive after chemo but it takes time to recover and return to normal condition. However, it may fail for patients whose cancer is resistant to chemo.
What is the success rate of chemo?
Is getting chemo painful?
It depends on the chemo procedure given. Drug-based chemo, orally or injected, is not typically painful but may cause discomfort and short-term side effects like mouth sores and headaches. However, some chemo drugs to treat breast cancer can cause bone and joint pain.
Do people survive after chemo?
Most patients can survive after chemo but it takes time to recover and return to normal condition. However, it may fail for patients whose cancer is resistant to chemo.
Can I drive home after chemo?
Mostly, people can drive to and from chemo treatment. However, it is better to ask someone to drive you because some chemo drugs can cause fatigue, sleep, and other side effects that may interfere with your focus on driving.
Reference : mayoclinic.org, healthline.com
Originally posted 2022-11-09 15:09:33.