Chemotherapy is a common way of treating all types of cancer and uses drugs for treatment. Cancer cells grow and multiply at a rate faster than any other cell in the body. It involves using powerful chemicals that kill the quickly growing cells in the body. Chemotherapy is an invasive form of treatment but can have certain side effects.
A course of chemotherapic treatment can vary from one dose per day to a few weeks or months.
Need for Chemotherapy :
Chemotherapy is used to cure people suffering from cancer. It slows and stops the growth of the cells, causing cancer. These cells are found to be very quick in growth and divide at a rapid rate. The following points highlight the need for chemotherapy in treating cancer:
- It not only provides a cure for cancer but also kills any remaining cell, that may be left in the body and may cause cancer. This is called adjuvant therapy.
- It shrinks the tumour so that surgery and radiation can be done. This is known as neoadjuvant therapy.
- It kills the cancer cells, thereby removing any signs or symptoms.
Treatment by Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can be used for treating many types of cancer. While in some cases, it is used with other treatment methods; in other cases, chemotherapy treatment can alone cure a person. The procedure differs from person to person depending upon cancer and its type. Chemotherapy can be given to a person in many ways, some of which include:
Intravenous (IV) - It is provided directly into the vein.
Injection - It is given in the muscle of the arms, thighs, under the skin of a body part or in the hips through shots.
Intraperitoneal - A later of tissues covering the spinal cord and the brain. It is injected between these layers.
Oral- it is given in the form of pills, capsules and liquids that can be swallowed.
Common Drugs used in Chemotherapy
There are several chemotherapy drugs that doctors prescribe for treating cancer. These drugs are divided into groups, where each group has a different way of shrinking and killing the cancer cells. The following are a few drugs that are used for treating various types of cancer:
- Drugs such as methotrexate, gemcitabine, cytarabine and others interrupt the normal metabolism of cells and stop their growth. They are known as antimetabolites. They are used for treating cancer in ovaries, breasts and intestines.
- Drugs such as melphalan and temozolomide prevent the cancer cells from multiplying by killing their DNA. They are used for treating Hodgkin’s disease, sarcoma lymphoma as well as ovarian, breast and lung cancers.
- Some drugs attack the enzymes present inside the DNA of the cancer cells, which prevents them from dividing and growing. It works for many cancer types and includes drugs such as daunorubicin and doxorubicin.
- Drugs such as steroids act as body hormones. They can protect you from having vomiting and nausea during or after chemotherapy. They also protect the body from allergic reactions to different drugs.
Chemotherapy is now an adhesive form of treatment, where drugs are used for curing cancer. There are many cities with modern methods of treating cancer which includes chemotherapy in Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai etc. This article provides a basic idea of how chemotherapy can be used for the treatment of different types of cancer.
