Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment which uses medications usually intravenously (IV) but sometimes by mouth (pills) to kill the cancer.
Primary Chemotherapy
When chemotherapy is given alone, without surgery, then it is called primary chemotherapy. That is usually the case when the cancer has already spread. If the cancer has spread, surgery is not an option, because surgery treats only one site and does nothing for the other sites to which the cancer has spread. In that case, chemotherapy is the better option because through the blood stream the drugs reach all sites where the cancer has spread and treats all of them. Primary chemotherapy is a palliative form of cancer treatment.
Chemotherapy in addition to surgery
When chemotherapy is given in addition to surgery, it can be done before surgery or after surgery. Chemotherapy given before surgery is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Its goal is to shrink the tumor and to make it easier to remove during surgery and to improve the chance of complete removal. Chemotherapy given after surgery is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Its goal is to prevent cancer recurrence or to treat residual tumor, which has not been completely removed during surgery.
Chemotherapy is most commonly intravenously. Because it is toxic to the inner lining of the small veins and cannot be given through a regular IV line, a special IV line is placed in a big vein going directly into the heart. This special IV line used for chemotherapy is called a port. Placement of a port requires a small surgical procedure, which is an outpatient same day surgery and does not require a placement of a breathing tube for anesthesia.