Treatment
Chemotherapy works very well for some types of bone cancer, particularly Ewing sarcoma. You often have chemotherapy for osteosarcoma and for some other types of bone cancer as well. There are different reasons why you might have chemotherapy treatment.
Read more about treatments for primary bone cancer
There are many different chemotherapy drugs to treat bone cancer. You usually have a combination of drugs.
Some of the common chemotherapy drugs for bone cancer are:
vincristine
ifosfamide
doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
etoposide
methotrexate
cisplatin
cyclophosphamide
gemcitabine
docetaxel
We have specific information about each of these drugs on our cancer drugs A to Z list.
You have treatment through a thin short tube (a cannula) that goes into a vein in your arm each time you have treatment.
Or you might have it through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. This might be a:
central line
PICC line
Portacath
The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment.
You might have some drugs as tablets.
Find out more about having chemotherapy into your vein
You usually have treatment into your bloodstream at the cancer day clinic. You might sit in a chair for a few hours so it’s a good idea to take things in to do. For example, newspapers, books or electronic devices can all help to pass the time. You can usually bring a friend or family member with you.
You have some types of chemotherapy over several days. You might be able to have some drugs through a small portable pump that you take home.
For some types of chemotherapy you have to stay in a hospital ward. This could be overnight or for a couple of days.
Some hospitals may give certain chemotherapy treatments to you at home. Your doctor or nurse can tell you more about this.
Watch the video below about what happens when you have chemotherapy. It is almost 3 minutes long.
You need to have blood tests to make sure it’s safe to start treatment. You usually have these a few days before or on the day you start treatment. You have blood tests before each round or cycle of treatment.
Your blood cells need to recover from your last treatment before you have more chemotherapy. Sometimes your blood counts are not high enough to have chemotherapy. If this happens, your doctor usually delays your next treatment. They will tell you when to repeat the blood test.
You might have a hearing test. You also might have an echocardiogram (ECHO) to check your heart function.
After each chemotherapy treatment you usually have a break of a few weeks before you start the next cycle of chemotherapy. During your weeks off, your replaces your . If your white cell count is slow to pick up or you are having intensive treatment, you may have drugs called growth factors. These help your bone marrow make blood cells more quickly.
You usually have growth factors as small injections just under the skin (subcutaneous injections). You usually have a type of growth factor called G-CSF.
Read more about Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)
Common chemotherapy side effects include:
feeling sick
loss of appetite
losing weight
feeling very tired
increased risk of getting an infection
bleeding and bruising easily
diarrhoea or constipation
hair loss
Side effects depend on:
which drugs you have
how much of each drug you have
how you react
Tell your treatment team about any side effects that you have.
Most side effects only last for a few days or so. Your treatment team can help to manage any side effects that you have.
Chemotherapy for bone cancer can be difficult to cope with. Tell your doctor or nurse about any problems or side effects that you have. The nurse will give you telephone numbers to call if you have any problems at home.
Let your doctors know if you:
take any supplements
have been prescribed anything by alternative or complementary therapy practitioners
It’s unclear how some nutritional or herbal supplements might interact with chemotherapy. Some could be harmful.
Read about the safety of complementary and alternative therapies
Last reviewed: 24 Apr 2025
Next review due: 24 Apr 2028
Chemotherapy is a standard treatment for some types of cancer. It uses anti cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Most chemotherapy side effects are temporary, but some people are affected months or years after treatment.
You might have a targeted cancer drug for primary bone cancer. Targeted cancer drugs change the way cells work and help the body to control the growth of cancer.
The main treatments for cancer that starts in your bone (primary bone cancer) include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The main treatments for cancer that starts in your bone include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. You might have a combination of these treatments. Find out more.
Primary bone cancer is cancer that has started in any bone of your body.
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