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Services | Chemotherapy
What Is Chemotherapy and How Does It Work? 
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy kills cells which are dividing rapidly. Surgery or radiation destroys cancer cells in one area of the body, while chemotherapy travels throughout the body and kills cancer cells wherever they may be located.
When chemotherapy kills cancer cells, it also kills some normal cells. The cells most affected by these drugs are cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, hair follicles, and some reproductive cells. This is the reason side effects of chemotherapy may include low blood cell counts, nausea, mouth sores, diarrhea, hair loss, infertility, and others
More than one chemotherapy drug may be given at a time. They appear to have additional effects when combined. The combination of drugs may be given weekly or every three to four weeks. There is a break between cycles of chemotherapy which allows for the blood counts to recover. Multiple cycles of chemotherapy are given to destroy more cancer cells.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy refers to drugs given before surgery to shrink a tumor, while adjuvant chemotherapy refers to drugs given after surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back. Chemotherapy also may be used alone or with other forms of treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy Side Effects can differ for each patient. Please let us know if you do not feel well, if something is troubling you, or if you are in need of assistance after chemotherapy. Many times there are simple measures that can be taken to alleviate your problems. We want you to call us or notify us when you are in the clinic about the problems you are having. Do not assume that you must “live with it,” or that “it goes along with the treatment”.
When you call during office hours, our switchboard operators will connect you to our triage nurse. If the nurse is not available at the time you call, you will be sent to voicemail. Please leave a message – do not hang up and call back. Your chart will be accessed, and the nurse will return your phone call. Based on the number of calls received, it may be an hour or two before you receive a return call.
If you have a problem after hours or on weekends, call 479-587-1700. The Highlands Oncology Answering Service will communicate your message to the doctor on call. Your call will be returned by Dr. Hayward, Dr. Bradford, Dr. Beck, Dr. Travis, Dr. Oakhill, Dr Rosenfeld, or Dr Schaefer. Do not worry if your physician is not on call. All of our doctors are oncologists with many years of experience; therefore any one of them will be able to help you.
