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Lesson 12: Chemotherapy

chemotherapy                          
cure
cytotoxic
hair loss

intravenous
malignant
overdo things
poisonous

radiotherapy                                                  
side effects

toxic

wig

 

Activity 1: Match the terms on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

 

  1. chemotherapy                  

  1. harmful

  1. cytotoxic

  1. into the vein

  1. intravenous

  1. do too much so that you are tired

  1. malignant

  1. artificial hair which covers the head like a cap

  1. toxic

  1. extra effects of a drug which are not what the drug is for

  1. radiotherapy

  1. drugs which treat cancer

  1. side effects

  1. treat a disease so it goes away

  1. to overdo things

  1. something which is poisonous to cells

  1. wig

  1. use of X-rays to treat cancer

  1. cure

  1. poisonous

 

 

Activity 2:  Listen to the audio of the text and then complete the text.

chemotherapy                                       radiotherapy                            intravenous   
 

side effects                                            tiredness                                   cancer

 

Chemotherapy is the term for drugs which treat (1) ____________.  Chemotherapy may be tablets, injections or (2) ______________

infusions. The drugs are called cytotoxic drugs because they are poisonous to cancerous cells.
 

 

Chemotherapy drugs can cure some cancers. Sometimes they are used with (3) __________ to make the treatment work better.

Some cancers, however, cannot be cured. In these cases, patients have (4) ________________ to reduce symptoms such as pain.

 


Cancer treatments may also cause (5) ______________which are very unpleasant. Some patients suffer from sickness, hair loss

and extreme (6) ___________. The side effects can make it difficult to follow the treatment.

 


Activity 3: Answer the questions about the text.
 

1. Cytotoxics ________________.

 a  kill or slow the growth of malignant cells
 b  cure cancer
 c  poison healthy cells.

2. Chemotherapy is sometimes ________________________.

a  used with other drugs
b  used with radiotherapy
c  used on its own


3. __________ cancers can be cured using chemotherapy.

a  All
b  Few
c  Many

 

4. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy are _________________.

a    vomiting and diarrhoea
b    hair loss and depression
c    hair loss and tiredness

 

 

Grammar Focus: expressions using ‘become’. Listen to the audio of the terms. 
 

‘Become + an adjective’ describes a process or development.
 

baldness                         become bald

constipation                    become constipated

tiredness                         become tired

sickness                           become sick  

nausea                             become nauseated

depression                      become depressed

sadness                           become sad

forgetfulness                  become forgetful

 

Activity 4: Watch the video and complete the sentences. The video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmgI8YfF9Ds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





1. The chemotherapy tablets are ________________.

a   very strong

b   quite strong

c    a bit strong

 

2. One of the side effects of the chemotherapy is ____________________.

a    tiredness

b    sickness

c    pain

 

 

3. The nurse tells the patient not to _____________ if she is tired.

a  over work

b  over sleep

c   overdo it

 

4. If the patient feels sick the nurse will give her ____________.

a    an anti-sick tablet

b   an injection

c   a vomit bowl

 

5. If the patient starts to lose her hair, she can wear a ________________.

a          new shirt

b          jacket

c          wig

 


Activity 5: Match the questions with the answers.
 

  1. Can you explain about the chemotherapy?               

a)  I’ll give you some anti-sick tablets.
 

  1. What are the side effects?

b)  You could wear a wig until your hair grows back.
 

  1. What can I do about the tiredness?

c)  The chemotherapy tablets are quite strong.
 

  1. What if I feel sick and don’t feel like eating?

d)  Try not to overdo things and get plenty of rest.
 

  1. What if I start losing my hair too?

e)  You might feel very tired.

 

 

Activity 6:  Put the missing questions the patient asks into the dialogue.
                      Homework: Record the whole dialogue.


a Yes, maybe. I’ll think about it.
b I am worried about losing my hair too.
c Can you explain again about the chemotherapy?

d What can I do about that?

e What sort of side effects?

 

Patient: 1. ______________________________
 

Nurse: Yes, of course. The chemotherapy tablets you are taking are quite strong. The tablets may have some side effects as                well.


Patient: Oh. 2. _____________________________


Nurse: You may become very tired.


Patient:  I see. 3. __________________________


Nurse:  Try not to overdo things. Take it easy and get a lot of rest.


Patient:  OK, I’ll try to rest a lot.


Nurse: You may feel sick as well and not feel like eating. I’ll give you some tablets to stop the sick feeling.


Patient: 4. __________________________________


Nurse: You may lose some hair at first. Don’t worry, it won’t last long. Some people wear a wig until their hair grows back.


Patient: 5. ___________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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