We offer non-emergency medical transportation to chemotherapy for patients of all ages and backgrounds. Treatments may be once a week, several days in a row, or once every-other week. Regardless what schedule you’re on, we can provide a comfortable, safe, and reliable ride any time you need it.
Chemotherapy is used to treat a variety of cancers. It can also be used to slow the growth of cancer and decrease the risk of falling out of remission after cancer is removed. It can be used as a sole treatment measure, or in conjunction with other forms of treatment. Because each circumstance varies, it’s difficult to say how often you’ll undergo chemotherapy. Your doctor and team of nurses will put together a plan that outlines the specifics.
From what we’ve seen with our regular patients, treatments are usually given in repeating cycles, and the length of each cycle is entirely dependent on the type of drug and course of treatment.
The duration of chemotherapy treatment fluctuates based on:
- The type of cancer you have
- Stage of cancer
- Types of drugs and their overall toxicity impact the time it takes to recover before getting another treatment
- Your personal treatment plan
How long does it take?
You may receive a single drug or multiple drugs during one chemotherapy session. Drugs may be given in a single day, or over multiple days. It could take anywhere from under an hour, to several hours or more to receive treatments. It all depends on case specific protocol. You should know ahead of your appointment about how long the treatment will take.
How often do I have to go to chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy treatments are usually administered weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in repetitive cycles. A cycle is often defined as a month, and the number of cycles one goes through depends on a variety of factors.
Number of Cycles: how long does chemotherapy continue?
According to chemocare.com, “when cure is the treatment goal. Adjuvant chemotherapy (therapy after surgery has removed all visible cancer) may last 4-6 months.” While this is a realistic time frame for breast or colon cancers, chemotherapy cycles may repeat for closer to a year for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemia.
Another factor is how your body reacts to the treatment. If signs of the disease disappear altogether, 1-2 cycles may be conducted to help increase the chance all microscopic disease is gone.
If you get better but the cancer does not disappear, treatments will continue so long as it does not impact your health too adversely. If the disease continues to grow with treatment, chemotherapy is discontinued.
Your doctor will conduct regular tests to identify if chemotherapy is working for you. Response is generally measured and evaluated every 2-3 cycles.
Medical Transportation to Chemotherapy in Melbourne, FL
One of the most challenging aspects of chemotherapy is finding a ride to and from each appointment. The most common symptom of chemo treatments is fatigue, which is why it is recommended to have someone take you to your treatments. Plan to rest the day of and the day after chemotherapy.
Let our experienced and compassionate team of highly-skilled non-emergency medical transportation drivers show you what a first-class ride should feel like. We offer local and long distance transportation and are always happy to accommodate special requests, including door-through-door services.