Why is chemotherapy given in cycles?

Chemotherapy is often given in cycles so that your body has time to recover between treatments.

A cycle is a period of chemotherapy treatment followed by a period of rest. For example, you might receive chemotherapy every day for one week, followed by three weeks with no chemotherapy. Those four weeks make up one cycle.

The rest period is an important part of the plan. It gives your body a chance to recover and build new healthy cells before the next round of treatment.

How many cycles you have, and how long each one lasts, depends on your type of cancer and how advanced it is, the goal of treatment, the drugs used, and how your body responds. Your care team can walk you through your own schedule.