Essentially every type of cell can convert into cancers. There are hundreds of different types of cell types in the body and a discussion on the demographics of chemotherapy in each type of cancer is beyond the scope of this procedure. The decision...

to use chemotherapy is complex and depends on a number of factors—it is a decision that is made by a cancer doctor (oncologist) after extensive discussion with the patient and the patient’s family.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2005 the five most common cancers in women were breast, lung, colon and rectal, uterine, and lymphoma. In men, the most common cancers were prostate, lung, colon and rectal, bladder and melanoma. In terms of cancer deaths, lung cancer was the leading cancer killer in both genders. Breast and prostate cancers were the second most common cause of cancer death in women and men, respectively.