Chemotherapy is Big Money

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to the treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, especially microorganisms, or cancer. Chemotherapy works by killing the cancer cells; Unfortunately, he can not tell the difference between a cancer cell and some healthy cells. Chemotherapy may be administered in various ways. Chemotherapy is sometimes used with other treatments against cancer such as radiation, surgery, or biological therapy (the use of substances to stimulate the immune system of the body while fighting against cancer). Chemotherapy was formed from mustard gas, which was being used as chemical weapons during WW1 ,. Chemotherapy for treating cancer started in the 1940's by the use of nitrogen mustard.


When cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, patients have many questions. More than half of all cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Chemo works by killing the cancer cells; Unfortunately, he can not tell the difference between a cancer cell and some healthy cells. So chemotherapy eliminates not only cancer cells but also rapidly growing other cells that develop rapidly in your body, including hair and blood cells.

Their duration of treatment depends on the type of cancer, chemotherapy drug used, the goal of treatment, the body responds. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often provided below the surgery for many types of cancer, including colon cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and certain gynecological cancers. Over time, the cancer cells become more resistant to chemotherapy.

Patients who are better prepared tend to have fewer side effects and greater emotional capacity to deal with chemotherapy. Patients receiving chemotherapy are more likely to get infections. In some circumstances, your doctor may decide your body is too weak to receive chemotherapy. Side effects of chemotherapy happened because the cancer cells are not the only cells that divide rapidly in your body. Radiation therapy directs high-energy X-rays on the body of a person to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy also attacks quickly growing cells in your body, but unlike chemotherapy, which affects only the specific location where treatment is concentrated. When cancer has been removed by surgery or treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy may be used to hold the back of the cancer (adjuvant therapy). Given after surgery or radiation therapy, the goal of adjuvant therapy is to eliminate all cancer cells in their bodies may delay after previous treatments. The combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy may increase the risk of heart damage.

Chemotherapy can be frightening to think. Chemotherapy can have many unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores, anemia (red blood cells can cause a decrease in fatigue, dizziness and shortness of breath), leukopenia (blood cells White has reduced, can reduce resistance to infection), thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts can lead to bleeding or bruising), and gastrointestinal symptoms similar heart disease.

There are other options to chemotherapy have been successful in the treatment of cancer, but perhaps more importantly, there are steps we can take to prevent cancer and prevent the horrible effects of chemotherapy and radiation.