Oral chemotherapy: 9 questions, answered
July 29, 2025
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by Megan McGugan on July 22, 2025
Oral chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that is taken by mouth. It is used to shrink, eliminate or prevent cancer from advancing. It comes in several forms, including pills, capsules and liquids, such as solutions and suspensions.
Depending on how recently an oral chemotherapy drug was developed and approved for use, it may be available commercially or only through specialty or compounding pharmacies. It may also be a brand-new formulation or simply an oral version of an already established intravenous medication.
But how effective is oral chemotherapy? How long can you stay on it? And, will it make you lose your hair? Read on for answers to these and six other questions.
What types of cancer are treated with oral chemotherapy?
Oral chemotherapy is often used to treat breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer. But it can be used to treat many other solid tumors and blood cancers, too. More than 100 different oral chemotherapy agents are currently on the market.
Oral chemotherapy is becoming much more common now, as patients come to appreciate the benefits of receiving care at home.
It¡¯s also becoming more common as drugs that were originally intended to treat one cancer ¡°cross over¡± and start being used to treat other diseases. Tucatinib, for instance, was initially approved to treat breast cancer. But it¡¯s also been proven effective against colorectal cancer, so it¡¯s sometimes prescribed for that now, too.
How effective is oral chemotherapy?
Oral chemotherapy is very effective. Depending on the product and what it¡¯s being used to treat, the cancer could be controlled for years.
I have some patients who became cancer-free after just one year of oral chemotherapy. That¡¯s not true for everyone, of course, but a medication being oral doesn¡¯t make it any less effective.
Does oral chemotherapy make you lose hair?
Not all of these drugs do, but some can cause hair loss.
What are the side effects of oral chemotherapy?
That depends entirely on what you¡¯ve been prescribed. The most common side effects tend to be nausea, fatigue and diarrhea. That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean you¡¯ll experience any ¡ª or even only ¡ª these side effects, but those are the top three, in my experience.
Key takeaways
- Oral chemotherapy can be a highly effective form of cancer treatment.??
- Not all oral chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, but some do.??
- Nausea, fatigue and diarrhea are the most common side effects.??
How long can you stay on oral chemotherapy?
Again, that depends on exactly what you were prescribed and why, as well as the specific mechanism of the drug and how it was approved for use.
If you just need a brief course of capecitabine as a part of a chemoradiation regimen, you might only take it for the duration of that therapy: a few weeks or months. But some patients could be on oral chemotherapy for many years.
Which is better: oral or IV chemotherapy?
Neither is superior. Their use is typically based on national guidelines. Both oral and IV treatments may be recommended as first-line, second-line or third-line options, depending on the type of cancer.
There are also some oral formulations of IV medications. This can help patients who have challenges with IV administration or who experience side effects with one formulation but not another.
Can you kiss someone while on oral chemotherapy?
Yes. You can hold your grandson, too. But you¡¯ll want to use barrier methods of birth control when recommended ¡ª both to prevent pregnancy and to avoid exposing your partner unduly to chemotherapy drugs secreted in bodily fluids.
Caregivers should also:
- Be careful when handling the laundry of someone on oral chemotherapy.
- Wear gloves when handling oral chemotherapy drugs ¡ª especially if you¡¯re touching the pills, capsules or liquid.
- Wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
- Keep oral chemotherapy drugs out of reach of children and pets.
- Dispose of expired or unused oral chemotherapy drugs properly.
What does oral chemotherapy taste like?
There¡¯s no one-size-fits-all answer. But the chances of actually tasting a drug are higher with uncoated tablets than they are with capsules. We get far more calls about the size of oral chemotherapy pills than we do about their flavor.
What¡¯s the best way to take oral chemotherapy?
That depends. We have some general guidelines on how to take medications properly. But every medication is different, so ask your care team for clarification if you have any questions.
Megan McGugan is a clinical pharmacist and manager of MD Anderson¡¯s Specialty Pharmacy.
or call 1-877-632-6789.
A medication being oral doesn¡¯t make it any less effective.
Megan McGugan
Clinical Pharmacist