Where you have chemotherapy
You might have chemotherapy:
- at home
- in a chemotherapy day unit or ambulatory unit
- in hospital
- a combination of these
Having chemotherapy at home
You might have chemotherapy at home if:
- you are taking tablets or capsules
- your hospital or private healthcare company has home care chemotherapy nurses
- you are having low dose, continuous chemotherapy through a pump that you can wear at home
Tablets or capsules
You can take chemotherapy tablets or capsules at home. You’ll still need to visit the hospital outpatient department regularly for blood tests and check ups. You might be able to have the blood tests at your GP surgery or local clinic to save you going to the hospital.
Home care nurses
Some hospitals and private healthcare companies have home care chemotherapy nurses. These nurses will come to your home to give you your treatment. You might need to have the first dose in hospital, to make sure you don't have a reaction to the drug.
Through a pump
You might have continuous, low dose chemotherapy through a pump. The pump is about the size of a small water bottle. You have it fitted at the hospital.
The pump gives a constant dose of chemotherapy into your bloodstream 24 hours a day. You go back to the hospital after a few days or a week to have the pump changed or removed. Or a district nurse can change it in your home.
Chemotherapy in a day unit
If you have chemotherapy into a vein, you'll usually have it in the chemotherapy day unit.
Having chemotherapy in the day unit can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours through a drip. You might have your treatment through a:
- cannula - a small tube put into a vein in your arm and used for chemotherapy drugs that you can have fairly quickly
- central line - a tube which is put into a vein in your neck (short term) or chest (long term)
- PICC line - a type of central line that is put into a vein in your arm
- portacath or port - a small chamber that sits under your skin at the end of the central line in your chest
What to expect
You will usually see the doctor or specialist nurse and have a blood test before each treatment. The doctors and pharmacists need to see the results to check that it's safe for you to have treatment.
The amount of chemotherapy in the drip is individual for you. It is worked out based on your weight, height and general health.
You might need to take some tablets before you go into the day unit, such as anti sickness medicines. If you forget to take them, you should still go for your appointment. Tell the nurse when you arrive.
You usually have treatment while sitting in a chair. As you'll be in the day unit for a few hours, it's a good idea to take things to do. You might like to take some newspapers, a book or an electronic device to pass the time. You can usually bring a friend or family member with you.
You'll get phone numbers to call if you have any problems when you're back at home.
Clare Disney (nurse): Hello, my name is Clare and this is a cancer day unit.
So when you arrive and you’ve reported into with the receptionist, one of the nurses will call you through when your treatment is ready, sit you down and go through all the treatment with you.
Morning, Iris. My name is Clare. I am the nurse who is going to be looking after you today. We’re going to start by putting a cannula in the back of your hand and giving you some anti sickness medication. And then I am going to come back to you and talk through the chemotherapy with you and the possible side effects you may experience throughout your treatment. Is that okay?
Before you have each treatment you’ll need to have a blood test to check your bloods are okay. And you’ll also be reviewed by one of the doctors to make sure you’re fit and well for your treatment. Sometimes you’ll have the blood test taken on the day of your treatment; other times you’ll have it the day before your treatment when you see the doctor.
Each chemotherapy is made up for each individual patient, depending on the type of cancer they have and where it is and depending their height, weight and blood results.
So, depending on where your cancer is some people have their chemotherapy drug, their cancer drug by drip, some will have an injection and other people will have tablets.
So, Iris, your chemotherapy is going to be given to you in what we call cycles and the cycles are given every three weeks for a period of six cycles. So, you will be coming in for approximately five months for your chemotherapy.
Depending on where your cancer is and what type of cancer you have will be dependent on how often you come in for treatment. An example of a treatment cycle would be for you to come in on Day 1, Day 8 and Day 15 then to have a week’s break before you come back again for Day 1 treatment.
Depending on the type of treatment that you are having we will also give you some anti sickness tablets to take alongside your chemotherapy and also some drugs to prevent any reactions if that’s appropriate.
All chemotherapy is given over different time periods so it’s best to check with your nurse about how long you are likely to be in the unit for. This can range from anything up to an hour to an all day treatment slot so please be prepared to bring along some bits to keep you occupied, such as books and music.
So, before you go home it’s important to make sure you have got the tablets you need to go home with your anti sickness medications and any other symptom control tablets that you may require. Also, to make sure that you’ve got the telephone numbers for the oncology unit to phone if you have a temperature or you are experiencing any other symptoms at home that you need to ask advice about.
So, please make sure when you leave the unit that you’ve got all the information you require and if you’ve got any questions at all don’t hesitate to ask the nurse who will be able to answer them for you.
Before your next cycle of treatment you will come in and see the doctor in the clinic room, you’ll have a blood test and an examination to make sure you are fit and well for treatment you will then come back the following day or later on that week for treatment.
When you need a few days of treatment
You might need chemotherapy for a few days in a row, but not need to stay in hospital. In this case you might go home each evening. Or you might stay in a hotel or other residence nearby, which the hospital pays for. You then go to the day unit every day for treatment. This is called an ambulatory clinic. You'll have a contact number to call if you need help or advice.
How you have treatment will depend on the type of chemotherapy you're having. You may have it into a vein through a portable pump.
Chemotherapy in hospital
You might need to stay in hospital overnight or for a couple of days. This is usually if:
- you need to have the drug in a very slow, controlled way
- you need to have fluids through a drip for a few hours before or after the chemotherapy drug you’re having
- your doctor wants you to be monitored during the treatment, in case you have a reaction to the chemotherapy
- you need to have the drug a number of times a day for a couple of days in a row
In some cases, you might have the first treatment in hospital. You can have the rest of your treatment in the chemotherapy day unit or the ambulatory clinic, if everything goes well.
Intense chemotherapy treatment
You might need intense chemotherapy treatment if you are having a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. If you have intense treatment you might need to stay in hospital for longer. This could be a few weeks.
You'll be at risk of getting an infection for a few weeks after treatment. You need to be in hospital, so infections can be picked up and treated quickly.
Where to get information about your chemotherapy
Your healthcare team should explain exactly what your treatment involves before it starts.
Ask them if there is anything about your treatment that is not clear to you. You can also ask them for any written information about the drugs you're taking.
