Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of medicines or drugs to stop the growth of cancers. Chemotherapy is used for the most part in patients whose disease has spread to other parts of the body (metastases) and is resistant to other forms of treatment.

The drugs are very powerful and work by killing cells that tend to grow quickly. Cancers tend to grow quickly, but unfortunately, so do cells in bone marrow, gut and other areas. Anemia, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other side-effects can occur. Unfortunately, chemotherapy rarely cures prostate cancer, but merely palliates or temporizes the cancer growth. Chemotherapy, therefore, is not used for localized prostate cancer.