Chemotherapy’s Evolution
- Sabrina Zheng
- May 13, 2023
- 2 min read
INTRODUCTION
Cancer has been around ever since humans were alive. Abnormal cells grow at an uncontrollable time and speed, affecting your bloodstream and organs, and therefore affecting your health. Scientists and doctors have spent centuries studying and developing treatments to destroy these foreign invaders, and breakthroughs were made throughout history, with chemotherapy being one of the most important.
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment mainly used for cancer patients to destroy fast-growing cancerous cells. There is a wide variety of chemotherapy drugs, and they can be used alone or together. There are many uses for chemotherapy, including primary treatment which cures one type of cancer without any other procedures. Another being adjuvant therapy, meaning the patient has had other treatments and is using chemotherapy to kill off remaining cancer cells. Neoadjuvant therapy shrinks tumors in preparation for additional treatments and procedures to be done. Lastly, palliative chemotherapy relieves symptoms of cancer for those nearing the end of their lives.
Chemotherapy drugs come in many forms, one being infusions. Infusions are done when an intravenous tube is inserted into a vein of an arm. Chemotherapy drugs can be given orally in pill form. Injection from a needle or topical treatments using creams and gels applied directly to the skin are other methods. Intrathecal chemotherapy, when medicine is injected into cerebrospinal fluid in an area surrounding the spinal cord and brain, is another available option.
Side effects of chemotherapy range widely, occurring both during and long after chemotherapy. Effects during chemotherapy range from: nausea, vomiting, easy bruising, hair loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, and mouth sores. Long term effects include: damage to lung tissue, kidney problems, infertility, heart issues, nerve damage, and risk of second cancer. Being aware of these side effects is imperative to understanding the potential risks of chemotherapy treatment.
During World War Two, a compound named nitrogen mustard was analyzed and found to work against lymphoma, a cancer affecting the lymph nodes. To test the theory, a team of pharmacologists injected nitrogen mustard into patients with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and saw results of shrinkage in their cancerous cells. This moment of discovery propelled advancement in chemotherapy . Alkylating agents were then discovered to be more effective in killing fast growing cancerous cells. Scientists realized, after the use of radiation therapy and surgery to remove cancer, chemotherapy could be added to destroy rapid tumor growths. Today’s chemotherapy treatment has less patient mortality with development in chemotherapy drugs and increases in cancer detection science and technology.
Planning ahead and preparing for chemotherapy treatments include asking your doctor what side effects are to be expected during and after treatment and viewing all options to avoid or plan for long term side effects. Undergoing the appropriate tests and procedures to be prepared for chemotherapy treatments is necessary. Discuss potential issues, problems, and questions with your doctor.
CONCLUSION
Chemotherapy has changed the game for the survival rates of cancer patients as medicine has evolved. Treatments have expanded long after the first discovery and creation of chemotherapy drugs. With more research being poured into expanding cancer research, there will be better treatments extending the life and quality of life of cancer patients.
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