Chemotherapy Overview
Chemotherapy is the mainstay treatment for cancer that has spread from the primary point. Treating cancer with chemotherapy is a process of introducing medication into the body for the purpose of destroying biological cells including cancer cells.
Chemotherapy Drugs
There are over 100 different drugs available to treat cancer. Each has different properties and functions for destroying . The chemotherapy drug of use is selected according to the type of cancer it best destroys. Chemotherapy drugs are categorized into groups according to the function. Alkylating agents are drugs that destroy the DNA of a cell to prevent it from reproducing. Antimetabolite drugs prevent the DNA and RNA of a cell from growing into a mature cell. Anti-tumor antibiotics destroy the enzyme a cell needs to reproduce its DNA. Mitotic inhibitors prevent cells from obtaining the protein needed for survival. These are just a few groups of chemotherapy drugs, and new drugs are being developed regularly.
Chemotherapy Drug Effects on a Cell
Chemotherapy drugs are designed to destroy cells either by preventing the cell from reproducing or depriving the cell of enzymes and proteins needed to live. Current chemotherapy drugs do not attack just cancer cells; they destroy other normal cells as well. This is why such severe side effects are common. For example, weakness is caused by destroying normal red blood cells, and hair falls out due to follicle cells being destroyed.
Method of Administration
Chemotherapy drugs can be administered in three ways. The route of administration is determined by the individual chemotherapy drug. Some drugs may be administered by taking a pill, while others may be administered through an intramuscular shot. The third and most common is the intravenous administration of . This requires a monitored session at a hospital or clinic.
Tags: cancer cells, chemotherapy drug, cell from, Chemotherapy drugs, drugs administered, from reproducing