Intrathecal injection is when a drug is given into the fluid around the spinal cord.
In some conditions like lymphoma and leukaemia, cancer cells can pass into the fluid which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). To stop this happening, or to treat it if it does happen, chemo can be given directly into the CSF.
You lie on your side with your legs drawn up and the doctor uses a local anaesthetic to numb an area of skin over your spine. A needle is then put into the space between two of the bones in your spine and into the CSF. Chemo is then injected into the CSF through the needle.
The whole thing takes between 15 and 30 minutes. You might have to lie flat for a few hours afterwards. You might have a headache which can last a few hours. Otherwise there aren’t usually any side effects with this kind of treatment.
