Infusion Center

What to Wear

• Dress comfortably in loose-fitting clothes.
• Wear well-fitting shoes with non-skid soles, no backless shoes or flip-flops.

What to Bring

• All medicines you routinely take at home (blood pressure, pain, etc.)
• Equipment (colostomy bags, portable oxygen, tube feeding, etc.)
• Sweater, jacket or extra layer of clothing
• Snack

It is likely that you will have to talk with your employer at some point about your cancer diagnosis, especially if you need to take time off from work or need extra time during or after treatment. Before starting the conversation with your employer, it is a good idea to consult one of the resources listed below to find out how to approach the topic, especially if you’re concerned about how it may affect your job or are not sure what to say.

Chemotherapy is given in several ways, called routes of administration. You may get chemo by:

Injection

• Into a muscle, under the skin, directly into the cancerous area or into a vein
• Into the cerebral spinal fluid (called an intrathecal injection)

Infusion

• Through a needle connected to a tube in your arm or through a central venous catheter (CVC or port)
• Into an artery through a catheter inserted directly into the area that has the tumor

Mouth

• Tablet, capsule or liquid form

Topical application

• Creams, ointments or lotions rubbed into the skin

Cancer treatment may impair a person's ability to have children later in life. For women, these therapies can cause ovarian damage that can lead to genetically damage oocytes (eggs), ovarian failure, early menopause, or other reproductive problems. For men, treatments can similarly cause damage to the testes that interfere with sperm production and testosterone secretion. As cancer treatments improve and survivorship increases, fertility preservation options in women, men, and children become an increasingly important topic. Fortunately, multiple options exist to maximize your future fertility potential.