Chemotherapy is a therapeutic procedure that uses chemical substances; however, the term is used to refer to the treatment of cancer with drugs or chemicals that kill cancer cells and other rapidly growing cells.
It usually consists of a combination of medications, which can be administered orally or intravenously. Either way, it is considered a routine treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream and reach all regions of the body.
Cancer treatment is possible through the collaboration of doctors, surgeons and oncologists. Patients with this disease can receive chemotherapy in an outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor's office or at home, some need to stay in the hospital during the procedure.
Chemotherapy is sometimes given in conjunction with radiotherapy called in this case concomitant radiochemotherapy. Also, as a treatment prior to surgery, in order to reduce the size of the malignant tumor, known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
It can also be used in cases where the cancer has been surgically removed, but there is still a chance that there has been some spread, called adjuvant chemotherapy. And when it has spread to so many places in the body that radiotherapy or surgery is no longer possible.
There are many chemotherapeutic agents for treating cancer, including alkylating agents, antimetabolites (folic acid analogs, purine analogs, and pyrimidine analogs), cytotoxic antibiotics, and plant-derived alkaloids.
The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs that are given, and to a lesser extent, on the person who receives them. Unfortunately, the drugs affect the blood cells, and the patient is more susceptible to infections, bleeding more easily, and feeling weak and tired. The cells of the hair follicles are also affected, there is the presence of hair loss (alopecia)
In the same way, to the cells that line the digestive tract, causing loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, ulcers in the mouth, etc. These can be controlled with medications. There may also be other more serious effects, but fortunately rare, such as heart involvement and the appearance of a second cancer.
It is expected that in the future, chemotherapy will be more specific towards malignant tumor cells, exploiting some characteristic of these that is not shared by normal cells.
