Chemotherapy drugs have been an important part of cancer treatment since the 1950s. Chemotherapy involves the use of certain medications, sometimes in combination with other treatments, to seek out and destroy cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy drugs may be taken before or after surgery to remove a tumor, be used in conjunction with radiation, or be taken alone when other treatment options are not appropriate. Chemotherapy medications are typically very effective but can have serious side effects for some people.
Types
Chemotherapy drugs are generally split into several categories based on their chemical structure and mechanism of action, and include alkylating agents, antimetabolites, anti-tumor antibiotics, topoisomerase inhibitors, miotic inhibitors and corticosteroids.
Function
Chemotherapy drugs destroy cancer cells, control tumor growth, prevent abnormal cells from dividing and have the ability to reach microscopic cancer cells that have spread from the primary tumor to distant parts of the body.
Side Effects
Although side effects vary from one situation to another, chemotherapy drugs may cause hair loss, decreased fertility, loss of libido, bone marrow changes, fatigue, bruising, increased vulnerability to infection, dry mouth and skin, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Benefits
Chemotherapy medications provide cancer patients an additional treatment and a possible cure for cancers that cannot be successfully treated using surgery or radiation alone and offer the added benefit of being able to reach and destroy malignant cells that may be too small to detect during standard testing.
Considerations
Resistance to chemotherapy may develop if some cancer cells mutate rather than die when exposed to the treatment, if the cancer cells are able to render the drug inactive or remove the drug from the cell faster than it can gain entry, or if the cancer cells are able to repair their damaged DNA.
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