|  | Cancer | Chemotherapy

Advantages of Chemotherapy

With wide infection rates and very few cures, cancer is slowly becoming one of the biggest killers of our population's history. However, there have been advancements over the years to help stave off cancer. One of these treatments is chemotherapy.

  1. What is Chemotherapy?

    • Chemotherapy is the use of toxic medications to kill cancer cells in the body. Usually introduced by an IV, once the medicinal liquid enters the body it has the ability to target any cells that multiply quickly. Cancer cells are deadly because of their ability to multiply and spread. However, this means that any other cells in the body that have the ability to multiply quickly are also killed. These cells include bone marrow, reproductive cells and hair follicles. The treatment is given in cycles to allow time for new health cells to reproduce before each additional treatment.

    Types

    • Because cancer has the ability to become immune to certain chemotherapy chemicals, most treatments involve a variety of chemicals to ensure effectiveness. These chemicals can include antimetabolites, antibiotics, alkylating agents, nitrosoureas and miotic inhibitors. Each of these types of chemicals have unique abilities to do everything from kill the cancer cell itself to hinder its reproduction and spread.

    Effectiveness

    • One of the advantages of chemotherapy over other cancer treatments is effectiveness. With other treatments, such as radiation, the treatment is focused on a single part of the body. However, with chemotherapy, the drugs are introduced to the entire body. This means that if the cancer has spread or if physicians missed part of the cancer in another part of the body, the chemotherapy will still reach and kill it.

    Life

    • Another advantage of chemotherapy is a prolonged life span. Without chemotherapy, cancer has free rein to grow and spread throughout the entire body. The longer it has this rein, the greater chance the patient has of the cancer becoming fatal. Chemotherapy does not always completely kill the cancer, but in many cases it controls the spread and growth of the cancer cells. This dramatically increases the life span of the patient. In some cases, the chemotherapy can even put the cancer into remission, allowing the patient to go back to living a normal life.

    Symptom Relief

    • Another advantage of chemotherapy is the relief of the many painful symptoms that come with cancer. Though chemotherapy is not without side effects, the side effects of the chemicals are temporary in comparison to the symptoms felt from the presence of cancer in the body. As the cancer grows in an individual, it starts to put pressure on nearby organs, nerves and blood vessels. This can cause severe amounts of pain and discomfort. Chemotherapy keeps the cancer from growing and spreading, taking pressure off the organs and other parts of the body and relieving the symptoms in the process.

Chemotherapy - Related Articles