What Is Medical Chemo?

Medical chemo, or chemotherapy, is the treatment of diseases with chemicals. It is a common treatment for cancer. In nononcological uses (non-cancer), medical chemo can refer to the use of antibiotics to kill microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria. Chemotherapy usually consists of the toxic compounds belomycin and cisplatin.

History of Chemo

• The era of chemotherapy began in the 1940s with the use of nitrogen compounds and folic acid drugs. Doctors learned that exposure to mustard agents lead to suppression of lymph activity. They hypothesized that the agent could be developed further to treat lymphoma. Shortly after World War II, studies of folic acid in leukemia patients found that in most cases the cancerous cells had been killed and the disease was slowly regressing.

What is Medical Chemo?

• Chemotherapy is commonly administered intravenously.

  Medical chemotherapy is most commonly used to treat cancer by targeting the cancerous cells with toxic chemicals, effectively killing the infected cells. Chemotherapy can be applied directly on the skin or taken orally or intravenously, where it is injected directly into the tumor, bloodstream or spinal fluid. Chemotherapy often causes side effects, including loss of hair, weight and energy and depression of the immune system. Chemo patients often are quarantined and given daily doses of antibiotics to combat immune system suppression.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy can be administered in pill form.

  Adjuvant chemotherapy is used to treat cancer remaining in the body after tumors are removed. Anticancer drugs are sent throughout the body to destroy any microscopic remains of the cancer. This treatment inhibits disease recurrence by ensuring that remaining cancer cells do not multiply and form new tumors. It is particularly effective for certain types of cancers, such as those of the breast, colon and lung.

Intravenous Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy attacks cancerous cells with toxic chemicals.

  Intravenous (IV) chemotherapy is the most common way to receive chemotherapy. Drugs are injected directly into the patient's bloodstream through a needle. Often a port or a reservoir of the drug is placed under the skin to prevent the need for repeated injections and allow patients less time in the hospital. Through this method chemotherapy can be delivered at home.

Combination Therapy

• Tumors can be surgically removed.

  In most cases single anticancer drugs cannot cure cancer. The use of two or more drugs together--combination chemotherapy--often is a more effective approach. Scientific studies of different drug combinations help doctors learn which work best for various types of cancers.