Source:
www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/TreatmentTypes/Chemotherapy/]]
Systemic chemotherapy
Drugs used in systemic (total body) chemotherapy regimens can be given in these ways:
Oral (PO) — taken by mouth (usually as pills)
Intravenous (IV) — infused through a vein
Intramuscular (IM) — injected into a muscle
Subcutaneous (SQ) — injected under the skin
Some chemotherapy drugs are never taken by mouth because the digestive system can't absorb them or because they irritate the digestive system. Even when a drug is available in an oral form (such as a pill or liquid), this method may not be the best choice. For example, some people with certain symptoms (like severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea) can't swallow liquids or pills, and some people may have trouble remembering when or how many pills to take. Still, chemotherapy drugs are powerful treatments, regardless of their form and the way they are administered.
The term parenteral is used to describe drugs given into a vein (intravenously or IV), muscle (intramuscularly or IM), or under the skin (subcutaneously or SQ). The IV route is the most common. IM and SQ injections are less often used because many drugs can irritate or even damage the skin and muscle tissue.
The IV route gets the drug quickly throughout the body. IV therapy may be given through a catheter placed in a vein in the arm or hand. IV drugs can also be given through a catheter placed into a larger vein in the chest, neck, or arm which is known as a central venous catheter (CVC).