Chemotherapy is usually given during the day as an outpatient in a hospital or treatment centre.

10 Signs cancer may be growing may be inside your body By Andrew Alpin, 3 March 2017. If the chemo is working the tumor should be smaller after four chemo sessions. --- what is going on with the cancer? How it works. Advertisement. The day came when side effects meant the port could no longer be used. My brother just went for his tenth round of chemo today...the dr. told him the chemo is "hurting him" what does this mean?? This is just the standard time to CHECK for response, not the time it actually … I asked the second in command, his primary oncologist was gone...what are the chances that this will get the cancer cells? Otherwise, they could choose to just do radiation and therapy and run the risk of not killing every cancer cell. But remember this highly depends on the type of chemotherapy and cancer you have. The article is titled “Letting Go.

The doctor said his blood work did not turn out so good this time. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. All cells in the body grow by splitting into two cells or dividing. But no my brother was diagnosed with stage 4 and surgery was not even an option. However, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t warn you. Different chemotherapy drugs cause different side-effects. I will read the article you sent thank you. Sometimes a short stay in hospital is necessary if it is a longer or more complex chemotherapy treatment.
The most common being every 3 weeks or monthly. The biggest problem with Cancer is that invariably it is diagnosed when it is too late. Before we really can offer advice or our personal thoughts it would be helpful to know where your brother is in his treatment and what is already planned out for the future.Rose - I have had the discussions with my father I have shared the MAYO article William posted for you and we have talked about when to stop my dad's treatment. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. My oncologists talked to me honestly about how the chemo was destroying me. If the cancer is spreading and the chemo isn't working then you have a different set of concerns treatment questions. Don't know what exactly that means. What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?” by Atul GawandeGood luck and let us know how things are going. Each cycle can be anywhere from days to weeks. He suggested it was time to stop chemo. This equates to checking response every 3 months or so as the standard. To answer your question yes, the chemo is shrinking the tumor but the chemo is effecting his body. I have since talked with my brother since my intial post, and he said the doctor said that if the chemo gets to working against his body then they will stop it completely and let his body recover before starting the chemo again. This is not medical advice but my personal opinionIf I remember correctly your brother was diagnosed Stage III - but he didn't want to consider surgery. Possible side-effects include:Having any of the above side-effects is not related to whether the chemotherapy is working or not.Remember, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact your doctor.Cancer Council is registered with the Australian Taxation Office as an Income tax Exempt Charity. And I am sorry for your daddy going through this. Who knows? If no cancer can be seen from a scan it is more difficult to know if the chemo is working because you don't know if anything is shrinking. In cancer, chemotherapy means medications that kill cancer cells or prevent their growth. In some cases, you can have chemotherapy treatment at home. I will be praying.The content on this site is for informational purposes only. Sometimes only one drug is used. What information do you need from the oncologist to help you decide if palliative chemotherapy is right for you or your loved one?

So it is difficult to know how to answer you ---- Chemo is very difficult and does kill the good cells as well as the bad. It is a personal decision. Only chemo and he is on a clinical (experimental)drug as well.
Your brother will unfortunately just develop additional tumors at a later date / time. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. Every chemotherapy has a different duration of cycles. I think the doctor was just being honest in saying that all of the symptoms he is experiencing is caused by the chemotherapy treatments. It is important to have a candid discussion with the doctor and how many more treatments are scheduled? In some cases, you can have chemotherapy treatment at home.Chemotherapy can produce side-effects in some but not all people. Most (but not all) patients with lymphoma will have chemotherapy at some point during their treatment. What is the Response Rate of the proposed chemotherapy? He has waived but right now he wants to go on so we support him but remind him if the chemo takes away his entire quality of life we should really consider what is happening especially since it doesn't seem to stop his cancer. Meanwhile the chemo is attacking good cells also...so it's only a matter of time before he can't do it any more...When he was first diagnosed, no one expected to still be here now...that was in July 09, but he is...Only your brother will know when it's time to stop treatments...This is so true, I guess it will be up to my brother and you are so right he will be the one to decide when it is enough.