Chemotherapy is one of the most common methods of cancer treatment.... In this method, certain drugs are used to destroy cancer cells or prevent their growth and spread to other parts of the body.... The doctor may prescribe chemotherapy alone or together with radiation therapy.... Also, newer types of anti-cancer drugs may be prescribed along with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy can be given as pills or injections. You may have to go to a clinic or hospital to receive the drugs through an IV (what doctors call an injection).

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You may need to take medicine for several weeks to help your body heal and grow new, healthy cells. Depending on the type of cancer and its severity, you may need to take some medicine every day, every week, or every month.

A cancer doctor, called an oncologist, may prescribe a chemotherapy drug or a combination of different drugs, depending on the following.

• Type of cancer
• Having or not having a history of cancer
• You suffer from other diseases such as diabetes or heart, kidney or liver diseases

Why is chemotherapy necessary?

Even after surgery to remove the tumor, the body still has cancer cells...these cells can form new tumors or spread the cancer to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy drugs help destroy, shrink, or control these cells. They may also treat cancer-related symptoms, such as pain. Chemotherapy may also be used to shrink the tumor before surgical removal.

How does chemotherapy work

Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways.... They can:

• They destroy cancer cells and healthy cells
• They only deal with cancer cells
• deprives tumors of the growth of blood vessels, which helps them grow faster
• They attack the genes of cancer cells so that these cells die and cannot form new tumors

Common chemotherapy drugs

There are dozens of chemotherapy drugs that doctors can prescribe....These drugs are often divided into groups based on how they work and their compounds....Each group of drugs kills or shrinks cancer cells in a different way.

• Some drugs damage the DNA of cancer cells so that they cannot make more copies of themselves.. These drugs are called alkylating agents and are the oldest type of chemotherapy. One type of alkylating agent—platinum drugs such as carboplatin, cisplatin, or oxaliplatin—reduces the risk of developing leukemia.
• A type of chemotherapy drug interferes with the normal metabolism of cells and this stops their growth.. These drugs are called antimetabolites.. Doctors often use them to treat leukemia and breast, ovarian and colon cancer.. Drugs in this group include 5-fluorouracil, 6-mercaptopurine, gemcitarabine..
• Anthracycline chemotherapy attacks enzymes inside the DNA of cancer cells that help them multiply and grow....They are used for many cancers....actinomycin-D, bleomycin, daunorubicin, and doxorubicin are some of these drugs....high doses of antitumor antibiotics can damage the heart or lungs....so the doctor must Prescribe their brevity.. Drugs called mitotic inhibitors stop cancer cells from making more copies of themselves... They can also stop the body from making proteins that cancer cells need to grow... Doctors may prescribe them for breast and lung cancers and types of myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. Mitosis inhibitors include docetaxel, estramustine, paclitaxel and vinblastine.
Another group of drugs called topoisomerase inhibitors also attack enzymes that help cancer cells divide and grow. They treat some types of leukemia and cancers of the lung, ovaries, and intestines. This group of drugs includes etoposide, irinotecan, tenposide, and topotecan.

Other cancer drugs

Chemotherapy is a common treatment method for cancer, but today doctors often prescribe other types of cancer drugs, such as targeted therapies, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.. Unlike chemotherapy, these types of drugs work better at attacking cancer cells and leaving healthy cells alone.. This means they have mild side effects.

How to comment on their impact?

The oncologist will evaluate the body's reaction during and after the treatment.

Oncologists look for signs of tumor shrinkage or growth. They use tests such as a physical exam, blood tests, or imaging scans such as X-rays.

If the treatment doesn't seem to be working, the oncologist may prescribe a different dose or combination of other treatments... Click here to see the best hematology and oncology subspecialists at GCORP LLC.