Chemotherapy, often known as “chemo,” is the treatment of cancer by the application of chemical drugs that destroy the cancer cells. One of the basic treatments for cancer is chemotherapy, apart from surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is one of the treatments used for many kinds of cancers; also, it may be used in addition with other treatments for a better result. Here is a complete detail of chemotherapy, its working, purpose, and what patients may expect.
What Is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. The drugs used in chemotherapy diffuse throughout the body. In contrast, surgery focuses on one part of the body to eliminate its respective cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can go through the rest of the body, where cancerous cells might be located. The idea behind chemotherapy is primarily to stop the proliferation and spread of cancerous cells by killing or preventing them from dividing.
While cancer chemotherapy drugs vary according to the type of cancer, patient health, and treatment intent, most work in the same basic way: by contacting rapidly dividing cells in the body. Cancer cells divide faster than normal cells far too often; unfortunately, chemotherapy drugs also target other cells that divide quickly throughout much of your body: bone marrow, digestive system, and hair follicles, among others. It leads to some desirable and some undesirable effects; these are altogether known as side effects of treatment for cancer.
Chemotherapy Purpose
Chemotherapy is done with different specific aims. Some particular aims of chemotherapy may vary with the stage of the cancer diagnosis or with the different types of cancer in a particular patient. The general health of a patient, or the expected outcome of the treatment, can also dictate the aim of chemotherapy.
Some of the most common aims of chemotherapy treatment are:
Curative Treatment:
The chemotherapy is curative where cancer is used with the intention of curing the disease. Not all cancer can be cured with chemotherapy, yet the usage of chemotherapy alone helps in eliminating cancerous cells completely or reducing the tumors to a size to be manageable or even completely invisible at times. For instance, chemotherapy is curatively quite common in cancers such as certain kinds of lymphomas, leukemias, and testicular cancer.
Control and Management:
Chemotherapy can control the rate of growth of cancer. For cancers that cannot be cured by any other method, chemotherapy may reduce the size of the tumor, slow down its progression, or improve quality of life. It manages symptoms like reduction of cancer cells in the body.
Palliative Chemotherapy:
Palliative chemotherapy is not curative in intent but aims to alleviate symptoms and increase comfort. When curative therapy is no longer an option due to the advancement of one’s cancer, chemotherapy can reduce some of the discomforts caused by the cancer, thus improving a patient’s quality of life during their remaining time.
Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy:
Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery or radiation therapy, called neoadjuvant chemotherapy; this treatment shrinks tumors and makes other treatments work better. The opposite, adjuvant chemotherapy, is given after surgery or radiation to kill any cancer cells left that may cause a recurrence.
How Does Chemotherapy Work?
Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells by interfering with cell division, which most cancer cells exhibit. In each drug, the mechanism is not exactly the same, but basically they interfere with cell division and growth in one of the ways described below:
Damaging DNA or RNA:
Some chemotherapy drugs damage the genetic material of the cancer cells, which ultimately leads to cell death.
Hindrance of Cell Division:
Some drugs hamper the action of enzymes required for cell division, hence slowing the spread of cancer.
Inhibiting the Cell Repairs:
Certain chemotherapy drugs inhibit cell repair in cancer, which eventually leads to its destruction.
Chemotherapy drugs are typically administered in cycles, where the treatment cycles are distributed with time for rest, giving the body time to recover. Administration varies and may be in the form of an oral pill, injections, or IV infusion, depending on the type of cancer and drugs to be administered.
General Side Effects and Management
Because chemotherapy kills fast-growing cells, it may affect not only cancer cells but also those cells found in the hair follicle, gastrointestinal tract, and bone marrow. It is because of this broad impact that chemotherapy has been associated with numerous adverse effects. Some of them include:
Hair Loss:
Being part of the fast-growing cells, chemotherapy often leads to loss of hair, although such a loss is usually only temporary.
Nausea and vomiting:
Chemotherapy might irritate the inner lining of the stomach, leading to nausea. Antinausea drugs are generally prescribed as an antidote for this.
Fatigue:
The other potential side effects of chemotherapy include overwhelming weakness, sometimes due to anemia or the body’s response to the fight against cancer.
Low blood counts:
Chemotherapy can suppress bone marrow and other blood-producing activities that could lead to anemia, increased susceptibility to infections, bruising, or bleeding, among other side effects.
Doctors closely follow chemotherapy patients in a bid to control and minimize the occurrence of as many side effects associated with the treatment. Supportive medicines, lifestyle changes, and a healthy diet form part of the holistic approach to dealing with such side effects.
When to consider chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the recommended treatment based on several factors, such as the type of cancer, how advanced it is, the patient’s overall health, and patient preference. It is a standard form of treatment for most cancers; for others, it accompanies surgery or radiation. For certain cancers like leukemias and lymphomas, chemotherapy is an especially effective modality; hence, it is an integral component of the plan of treatment for these diseases.
Refer the patients to an oncologist. The risks and benefits of chemotherapy can then be discussed. Patients will therefore learn about what chemotherapy may achieve, that is, the likely side effects they will experience, as well as what they ought to expect in terms of outcome.
Conclusion
Chemotherapy is indeed a powerful tool in cancer treatment. It is a treatment that can cure, control, or alleviate symptoms among those who have this disease. While the treatment carries its effects in the context of affecting normal cells, advances in the field of medicine are allowing chemotherapy to become much safer and more effective. The decision is very much a personal and sometimes difficult one for a patient to make, but with the proper support and care, most patients could achieve a better quality of life and a hopeful outlook on their journey with cancer.
