Medically reviewed by Gilberto de Lima Lopes Junior, MD, MBA, FASCO, medical oncologist · Last reviewed October 2026
Chemotherapy uses medicines to destroy cancer cells or keep them from growing. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System, offers chemotherapy by IV infusion, injection and pill at 13 locations across South Florida. Your treatment is planned by oncologists who specialize in your type of cancer.
Whether you have just learned you need chemotherapy or you are helping someone who has, this page explains how treatment works at Sylvester, what happens on infusion days and how our team helps you manage side effects.
Request an appointment online or call 1-844-324-4673.
- What is chemotherapy?
- Why choose Sylvester for chemotherapy?
- Where can I get chemotherapy at Sylvester?
- What happens during a chemotherapy infusion?
- How can I manage chemotherapy side effects?
- Cost and insurance
- Chemotherapy clinical trials at Sylvester
- Meet our medical oncologists
- Frequently asked questions
What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a group of medicines that target cells that grow and divide quickly, which is how most cancer cells behave. Some chemotherapy drugs destroy cancer cells, and others slow their growth so that surgery, radiation therapy or other medicines can work better.
Your oncologist may recommend chemotherapy:
- Before surgery to shrink a tumor so it is easier to remove and more healthy tissue can be saved
- After surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain and lower the chance the cancer comes back
- As the main treatment to cure some cancers, such as certain lymphomas, leukemias and testicular cancers
- For advanced cancer to slow its growth and ease the symptoms it causes
- Before a stem cell transplant to prepare your body for new stem cells
Most chemotherapy is systemic, which means the medicine travels through your bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Regional chemotherapy delivers medicine directly to one area, such as the abdomen or a limb, to concentrate treatment where the cancer is.
Most patients receive a combination of drugs, called a regimen, given in cycles. Each cycle includes treatment days followed by rest days that give your body time to recover. Chemotherapy is often one part of a larger plan that may include surgery, radiation therapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. The National Cancer Institute offers a detailed overview of how chemotherapy works.
How is chemotherapy given?
- IV infusion: Medicine flows through a thin tube into a vein, usually in an infusion suite, over a few minutes to several hours.
- Port and take-home pump: A port is a small device placed under the skin of your chest that protects your veins during months of treatment. Some regimens continue at home through a small pump you wear for one to two days.
- Injection: Some medicines are given as a shot under the skin or into a muscle.
- Pills: Oral chemotherapy is taken at home on a set schedule.
- Heated chemotherapy during surgery: For some cancers in the abdomen or chest, surgeons deliver heated chemotherapy directly to the affected area. Sylvester’s Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal and Intrapleural Chemotherapy (HIPEC) program was the first in South Florida and has treated more than 200 patients.
- Isolated limb infusion: For melanoma that has spread within an arm or leg, surgeons temporarily separate the limb’s blood flow from the rest of the body and deliver high-dose chemotherapy to that limb only.
Why choose Sylvester for chemotherapy?
Sylvester is the only cancer center in South Florida designated by the National Cancer Institute, and it earned an “Outstanding” rating in its most recent NCI review. In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked Sylvester the No. 1 cancer program in Florida and No. 23 in the nation.
- Oncologists who specialize in your cancer: Our medical oncologists focus on specific cancers, such as breast, colorectal, lung or blood cancers, so your treatment plan reflects the latest evidence for your diagnosis.
- A team built around safe treatment: Oncology pharmacists review every regimen and dose, and oncology nurses give your treatment and watch closely for side effects.
- Access to clinical trials: Sylvester runs the only academic Phase I clinical trials program in South Florida, so eligible patients can receive new drugs and drug combinations years before they are widely available.
- Care close to home: You can receive chemotherapy at Sylvester locations across South Florida and see the same team at every visit.
Your care team also includes dietitians, social workers, financial counselors and supportive care specialists who help with the physical and emotional side of treatment.
Where can I get chemotherapy at Sylvester?
Sylvester offers chemotherapy infusion at the locations below. Your care team will help you choose the one that is most convenient for you.
What happens during a chemotherapy infusion?
Your first infusion visit is usually the longest. Your nurse will explain each step, and you are welcome to bring a family member or friend for support.
Before treatment
You will check in and usually have blood drawn. Your oncologist or nurse reviews the results to make sure it is safe to give treatment that day. If your blood counts are too low, your team may adjust your dose or reschedule treatment.
During treatment
A nurse places an IV or accesses your port, then gives medicines to prevent nausea and allergic reactions before the chemotherapy begins. Depending on your regimen, an infusion can take less than an hour or several hours. You can read, rest, use your phone or talk with your companion. Tell your nurse right away if you feel burning, pain or swelling where the medicine goes in.
Going home with a pump
Some regimens continue at home through a small pump you wear for about 46 hours. Your care team will explain how the pump works and how it is disconnected when treatment is complete.
What should I bring?
- A list of your medicines, vitamins and supplements
- Snacks and a water bottle
- A sweater or light blanket, since infusion rooms can feel cool
- A book, tablet or headphones to help pass the time
- Comfortable clothing that makes it easy to reach your port or arm
Getting home
Some chemotherapy drugs, and the anti-nausea medicines given with them, can make you drowsy. Plan for someone to drive you home after your first treatment, until you know how you will feel.
How can I manage chemotherapy side effects?
Side effects depend on the drugs and doses in your regimen, and many people have fewer or milder side effects than they expect. Medicines and supportive care can prevent or ease most of them. Common side effects include:
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting, which anti-nausea medicines given before treatment and taken at home help prevent
- Hair thinning or hair loss
- Mouth sores and changes in taste or appetite
- Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, especially with oxaliplatin
- A higher risk of infection, bruising or bleeding because of low blood counts
Some chemotherapy drugs can also cause longer-term effects on the nerves, heart, kidneys or fertility. If you hope to have children in the future, ask your care team about fertility preservation before treatment starts.
If hair loss worries you, ask about scalp cooling. Sylvester offers DigniCap scalp cooling, which can reduce hair loss from some chemotherapy drugs, at various locations. Coverage varies, so check with your insurance plan.
When should I call my care team?
Call right away, day or night, if you have:
- A temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
- Shaking chills
- Chest pain or trouble breathing
- Bleeding or bruising that will not stop
- Vomiting or diarrhea that keeps you from eating or drinking
- Fainting or passing out
Your care team will give you an after-hours number at your first visit. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.
Support during treatment
The Sylvester Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute helps you and your family stay as strong as possible during and after chemotherapy. Services include:
- Nutrition counseling to help with changes in appetite, taste or digestion
- Emotional and mental health support for anxiety, stress and depression
- Oncology social workers who help with practical concerns, such as transportation and time away from work
- Symptom management and palliative care to improve comfort and quality of life
- Exercise and rehabilitation programs that help with strength and fatigue
- Integrative therapies, such as acupuncture and massage
- Help finding wigs and head coverings
How much does chemotherapy cost, and will insurance cover it?
The cost of chemotherapy depends on the drugs in your regimen, how often you receive them and your insurance plan. Most health plans cover chemotherapy prescribed for an approved use, though the share you pay varies from plan to plan.
Before you start treatment, Sylvester’s financial counselors can review your benefits, estimate your out-of-pocket costs and connect you with assistance programs if you need help paying for care. See the insurance plans we accept.
Chemotherapy clinical trials at Sylvester
Clinical trials test new drugs, new combinations and new ways of giving chemotherapy. At Sylvester, many trials pair standard chemotherapy with a new targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Your oncologist can tell you whether a trial fits your diagnosis, or you can find a clinical trial on your own. Patients interested in the newest treatments can also explore our Phase I clinical trials. In 2025, patients enrolled more than 800 times in Sylvester treatment trials, including more than 300 enrollments in Phase I and Phase I/II trials.
Meet our experts
Frequently asked questions
Request an appointment
Ready to talk with a Sylvester oncologist? Request an appointment or a second opinion online, or call 1-844-324-HOPE (4673).
About this page: Sylvester’s editorial team wrote this page with help from AI writing tools. Gilberto de Lima Lopes Junior, MD, MBA, FASCO, a Sylvester medical oncologist, checked every medical fact before it was published. Clinical details are checked against sources such as FDA prescribing information and the National Cancer Institute.
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