Why Chemotherapy is Useful
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. Chemotherapy is often combined with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy in order to maximize its effectiveness. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone.
1. Killing Cancer Cells
Cancer cells have a higher rate of metabolism than normal cells. As a result, they require different amounts of oxygen and nutrients to survive.
When these conditions are not met, the cancer cells die off and are replaced by healthy cells. It works by interrupting the metabolic pathways of rapidly dividing cancer cells.
These compounds interfere with DNA replication, RNA transcription, protein synthesis, and cellular division. In doing so, the cancer cells stop replicating and eventually die.
2. Killing Normal Cells
The side effects of chemotherapy are caused by the killing of normal cells. Since normal cells do not divide as fast as cancer cells, they are less affected by the treatment.
However, some chemotherapies cause damage to the bone marrow, hair follicles, and the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Preventing Recurrence
After completing chemotherapy, patients undergo regular checkups to look for evidence of recurrence. If cancerous cells are present, the patient may receive additional chemotherapy treatments.
Side Effects of Chemotherapy
1. Fatigue
Chemotherapy drugs cause fatigue due to their side effects on the body. These side effects can last for weeks and months after treatment.
Chemotherapy drugs can cause nausea, hair loss, mouth sores, diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes, and liver damage. People who have had chemotherapy treatments may experience depression, short-term memory loss, insomnia, and decreased immunity.
2. Nausea
Nausea (also known as sickness) is often caused by chemotherapy drugs. It is characterized by feeling sick and having a desire to vomit.
Sometimes people feel nauseous without actually throwing up. Nausea can make people want to stay home and rest. If someone feels nauseated while taking chemotherapy drugs, they should tell their doctor right away.
3. Hair Loss
Hair loss occurs in about half of cancer patients receiving this therapy. Cancer drugs affect the blood cells that help produce hair follicles.
As a result, some people lose hair before, during, and after chemo. Hair loss tends to start around the head and scalp and then spreads over the entire body.
Most people recover hair growth after completing therapy. However, it takes time.
4. Mouth Sores
Mouth sores are painful ulcers in the mouth that occur in about two thirds of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.
Symptoms include pain, redness, swelling, fever, bleeding, and pus inside the mouth. Some people develop mouth sores at any point during their treatment. Usually, these sores heal within a few days.
5. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a frequent problem among cancer patients. About 40 percent of people receiving chemotherapy develop diarrhea.
Diarrhea causes severe stomach cramps, frequent need to go to the bathroom, and sometimes bloody stools.
When diarrhea happens, people may not eat or drink enough fluids. In extreme cases, diarrhea can lead to dehydration and even death.
6. Skin Rashes
Skin rash is an inflammation of the skin’s outermost layer. It is called dermatitis. Chemotherapy drugs can irritate the skin and cause inflammation and itching.
Some people get rashes on their arms, legs, face, hands, feet, chest, back, or neck. A person with a skin rash might scratch the area and spread infection.
7. Liver Damage
Liver damage is rare, but can happen if people take certain chemotherapy drugs. It is called hepatotoxicity.
Hepatotoxins are chemicals that can harm the liver. They can cause abdominal pain, yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine, and jaundice.
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Which is Better: Chemotherapy or Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are two different types of cancer treatments. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
A chemotherapy treatment may cause hair loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, weight gain, vomiting, constipation, skin rashes, mouth sores, and difficulty breathing.
A radiation therapy treatment may cause dry mouth, throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing.
The choice between chemotherapy and radiation therapy depends on many factors including the type of cancer being treated, the stage of the cancer, whether the cancer is curable, and how much side effects would be acceptable to the patient.
In general, chemotherapy is less toxic than radiation therapy and is often used first before radiation therapy is considered. However, both treatments work well together and should not be viewed as mutually exclusive options.
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