Just to add to Gary's comments....
Because Cisplatin is so toxic it is usually administered during a hospital stay for at least 5 days. The reason according to my husbands MO is that it is so hard on the kidneys that renal failure is a very real and dangerous side affect. You stay in the hospital so that they can measure your intake and outgoing fluids to monitor the kidney function.

My husband was treated with 37 rad txs that were 40 minutes each. He started the chemo the day before rad. His chemo was a 2 hour drip of Cisplatin once every 28 days and had 4 treatments. The 5fu was a 96 hour slow drip, They usually started the 5fu when we checked into the hospital and ran the Cisplatin the next morning. The rad txs were so long because they shot him in 2 different areas to make sure they weren't missing something.

The cisplatin is very hard on the body. Harry was violently sick within the first 12 hours after receiving it the first time.

But let me say that in a matter of 2 weeks from now Harry will be cancer free post treatment for a year. His side effects since tx have been very mild. He can eat almost anything that tastes ok to him. He has been the textbook patient as far as the doctors are concerned and no surgery.

The docs explained that with the concomitant rad and chemo and NO surgery they are getting results that are equal to or better than surgery so they opted not to operate.

My advice about the chemo txs.....

Choose your doc wisely and make sure you are informed and then you have to put your faith in that doc. I know that sounds not much like what you were looking for in ways of advice but what I know is that each patient is different and their cancers are unique to them. The really good docs know and understand this and they will recommend the txs based on the records and knowledge they have of the individual patient. At least that is what ours did and we just put our faith in them to do the right thing. It was all we really could do and for us it was successful.

Best to you,
Cindy