There are different ways you can receive chemotherapy. The most common way that chemotherapy drugs are given is through a needle into a vein. This is called intravenous or IV chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can also be taken as a pill or capsule.

Some people receive chemotherapy through a port. Instead of putting the IV directly into your arm, the catheter will go into a round metal or plastic disk. With a port, your nurse does not need to find a vein to put the IV in for each treatment. If you need a port, you will need a minor surgery before your first chemotherapy appointment to put the port in. This procedure is completed at St. Joseph’s Health Care in London.

The length of your treatment session depends on many factors. Some chemotherapy treatments take minutes or hours. Others are given over several days. This is called a continuous infusion. These drugs are delivered through a small pump that you wear and carry outside the hospital.