Chemotherapy

(Chemotherapy): chemotherapy is a completely different approach to cancer treatment than surgery and radiation therapy. Cancer is no longer a scary word. Medicine has advanced so far that many people recover from cancer and are forced to lead normal lives for many years. However, we must be aware of the warning signs of cancer. Early detection can save a life with the right treatment. Cancer is a disease that occurs when the cells in the body get out of control. Cancer often has the ability to spread throughout the body. It is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Cancer doctors, oncologists, want to answer the following questions to determine the most effective way to get patients back to health. Cancer is caused by changes in DNA.

What is Chemotherapy: Side effects and Benefits of Chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer. Many types of drugs are used in this method of treatment. Doctors evaluate a person’s age, health status, and other factors before deciding on treatment, which can be a combination of treatments, including surgery and radiation. One of them is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy means chemicals, and therapy means treatment. These chemicals target cancer-causing cells that are rapidly dividing.  Chemotherapy is given on a schedule or series of sessions that vary from person to person. Courses can be daily for a week or once a week for 8 weeks. Courses can last several months. Changing the duration of the session or course depending on the recommendation of the oncologist and the medications taken.

Side effects of Chemotherapy.

. Bruising and bleeding.

. Sore mouth.

. Loss of appetite.

. Chemotherapy can cause nausea and vomiting problems.

. Constipation.

. Your taste may be affected in some types of chemotherapy.

. Hair loss.

. Infections.

. Anaemia.

. Skin changes.

. Feeling tired and lack of energy is the most common symptom mentioned by cancer patients.

Benefits of Chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy prevent your cancer from spreading. Slowing the growth of your cancer cells, which grow and divide quickly. Kill cancer cells that have spread to other parts of your body (metastatic cancer). Reduce pain and other problems caused by your tumor. Cure your cancer completely. It is used to prevent it in the last stage of cancer. Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer, lessen the chance it will return, or slow it’s growth. Chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumours that are causing pain and other problems.

10 main types of cancer are:

. Blood cancer

. lung cancer

. Brain cancer

. Breast Cancer

. Skin cancer

. Prostate cancer.

. Colorectal cancer.

. Melanoma.

. Bladder cancer.

. Kidney cancer.

How “Chemotherapy” is given:

Chemotherapy may be given in many ways.

. Oral.

. Intravenous.

. Intrathecal.

. Intraperitoneal.

. Intra.

. Topical.

Chemotherapy is an aggressive treatment that uses drugs to attack and destroy cancer cells. This form of treatment is carried out in several ways. It can be given intravenously, as a tablet, or injected under the skin. The course of chemotherapy can be carried out every day for a week. Then the patient takes a break for 2-3 weeks before moving on to the second cycle. Thus, one cycle can last 3-4 weeks. However, the duration of these cycles depends on the type of drug and the patient. 

STANDARD OF CARE FOR MOST CANCERS.( Chemos are not all the same)

The good news is that doctor’s use various kinds of chemicals to treat specific kinds of cancer.

. Alkylating agents slow down cell division.

. Antimetabolites interfere with enzymes and block vital cell processes.

. Steroid hormones are used to treat breast and prostate cancer.

. Corticosteroids are used to treat leukaemia and lymphatic cancers.

Who is not eligible for chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat various types of cancer. However, in some cases, chemotherapy may not be recommended. Pregnant women cannot receive chemotherapy during the first trimester. You can safely continue this treatment after the first trimester of pregnancy. Chemotherapy is not usually reserved for people with cancer that is not spreading quickly.

Disadvantages of chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy can kill some of your good cells and cause serious side effects. For example, there are cells that line the mouth and intestines and cause hair to grow. This can cause mouth ulcers, nausea, and hair loss. Fortunately, side effects often improve or disappear after chemotherapy ends. Perhaps the most common side effect is feeling very tired. However, remember that not everyone suffers from all side effects. Having the same cancer and the same treatment does not necessarily mean you will have the same side effects. Pioneering research could make chemotherapy more personalized and less toxic. I hope this will change the approach to cancer treatment.

Conclusion:

“Cancer is no longer a scary word. Medicine has advanced so far that many people recover from cancer and are forced to lead normal lives for many years. However, we must be aware of the warning signs of cancer. Early detection can save a life with the right treatment.” Chemotherapy is usually considered the first line of treatment but there are many cases where it proves ineffective. In such cases, oncologists choose some other treatments such as radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy. Chemotherapy may prolong survival, reduce disease-related symptoms, and improve quality of life compared to the best supportive care for patients with NSCLC. 

People also ask:

Ques: 1 How is chemotherapy performed? 

Chemotherapy is often given as an infusion into a vein (intravenously). A tube with a needle is inserted into the device into a vein in the arm or into a vein in the chest to inject drugs into the device. Chemotherapy pills. Some chemotherapy drugs are available in tablet or capsule form.

Ques:2 What is the success rate of chemotherapy?

The success rate of chemotherapy has been successfully established after clinical studies in two groups of women suffering from cancer. One group was allowed to go into chemotherapy with hormone therapy after surgery, while the other group did not pass through Chemo. The results were in the context of overall survival, which was 98.1% for the chemo group and 98% for not taking it after 5 years of treatment, while survival after 9 years was 93.8% and 93.95 respectively.

Ques:3 What is the health benefits of chemotherapy?

. Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer, slow it’s growth.

. Chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumours that are causing pain and other problems.

Ques:4  What are the 5 side effects of chemotherapy? 

. Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy.

. Feeling and nausea.

. Hair loss.

. Epidemic.

. Anemia.

. bruising and bleeding.

Ques:5 Who is known as the father of chemotherapy, why?

The German biochemist Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915) developed a chemical theory to explain the body’s immune response and did important work in the field of chemotherapy, coining the term “miracle drug”. Ehrlich was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on December 5, 2017.

Ques: 6 How long does chemotherapy last?

The time it takes to recover depends on various factors such as the stage of the cancer, the type of cancer, the type of treatment, and the number of sessions. But on average, chemotherapy lasts from 2 to 6 months. Recovery at the end of treatment may take several weeks to a month.