What to Know About Chemotherapy for Laryngeal Cancer

Chemotherapy drugs kill all cells that divide rapidly, including cancer cells.

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Your doctor may give you chemotherapy for any of these reasons.

• Before surgery to preserve your voice. In many cases, the tumor will shrink enough so that the surgeon will have to remove only part of your voice box.

• To treat cancers that have spread

• To improve the outcome of radiation. In this case, you may get it in low doses after radiation.

For laryngeal cancer, doctors give these cancer-killing drugs by injection. They may use these drugs alone or in combinations.

Most people take chemotherapy drugs in a cycle. That means you alternate between treatment periods and rest periods. Each treatment and rest period make one cycle, and you may need more than one cycle of treatment. You may get these drugs in an outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor’s office, or at home. You may need to stay in the hospital depending on the drugs, your treatment plan, and your health.