Is Palliative Chemo weaker than 'regular' chemo?

It all depends what chemo you are getting, that can cause you to loses your hair.

So no to me they are not the lucky ones, different chemo and they may have a different cancer, so chemo's do not work on my type of cancer.

Every cancer is different, i have lung cancer, but there are different types of lung cancer, different cells involed.

Ellie 

Hi Harebellle, I had palliative chemo and my understanding of it is that it’s the same chemo but the dose is reduced. It can also be given over a longer period of time if your don’t have nasty side effects. 

Hi Harebellle,

When I was stage 3c I was told that the chemo I would need would be a stronger dose. However, my cancer progressed quickly and I became stage 4. I asked about dosage and was told that I was having a standard dose of carboplatin-paclitaxel, which is apparently the gold standard of chemo for my type of cancer. There would have been no point in giving me stronger chemo as they were not now going for a cure. I have lost my hair with this chemo given palliatively.

As Ellie said, there are many types of chemo, some cause hair loss, some don't. As I see it, palliative refers to the outcome only, no cure. Just as adjuvant chemo is to try to ensure the cancer doesn't come back. The actual chemo types/ medication used doesn't have any bearing on which stage you are, it is chosen as the right type for your particular cancer.

This is my take on it, just because we are stage 4 and palliative, it doesn't mean we are getting the dregs of any old bags they are trying to use up!

A x

Hi Harebelle,

I received six sessions of palliative chemotherapy, I didn't loose my hair and currently I have no active cancer. I have done far better than expected. I took severe ill health retirement, but am currently well. So my take is that palliative chemotherapy can be brilliant. 

Harebellle said:

When I go for my sessions there are some people who are completely  bald and others who still have all their hair.

I get my treatment in the Haematology/Oncology at my local.  There's people on chemo and immunotherapy at all sessions, so as well as the different chemo drugs, they'll be people there on immunotherapy (like me) which doesn't have the impact on the hair.   Perhaps your sessions also include people on immunotherapy?  

I'm on both chemo and Immunotherapy and haven't lost my hair. Which is why I wondered if I'm on a very weak dose.

I had chemo and was told that the type I was having didn't usually cause hair loss. 

Hi Harebellle. I had 6 cycles of palliative chemo after my Womb cancer mets spread to pelvis, peritoneum, omentum and vaginal cuff with lesions on liver and spleen.

I was given Paclitaxel (causes hair loss) and Carboplatin. After 6 cycles deposits are hardly visible on CT scan but will need more treatment in a few months time. My hair is currently 1/2 inch long and spikey (at 69 years young I love it!) Hate the thought It'll no doubt go when next treatment looms. I'm not curable but am still treatable at the moment. The more chemo I have, the less my body will tolerate so that's another problem for the coming months.

Hugs, Barb xx

This is why I've often thought that just because a cancer patient looks 'well' doesn't mean to say they're not extremely ill 

The ones who look very ill (ie like  someone off a cancer leaflet) are very often getting curative chemotherapy .

Looks are deceiving  

Those of us who look well and still have our hair are, more often than not, the ones who are terminal.

Can you imagine  if there were xray vision! People would be shocked!

This is what I think.

The dose is reduced.

This is why we still look healthy. Even though we're not.

If they're aiming to cure you, they hit it with everything they've got, which results in a person looking very ill 

When in actual fact its the 'incurable but treatables' that are the most ill 

Only it's all hidden, so you would never know to look at us!