Chemotherapy

Antineoplastic therapy
- Use of chemicals given as a systemic therapy for cancer
- Mainstay for most solid tumors and hematologic cancers
- Can offer cure, control, or palliative care
  - Cure
    - Burkitt’s lymphoma
    - Wilms’ tumor
    - Neuroblastoma
    - Acute lymphocytic leukemia
    - Hodgkin’s lymphoma
    - Testicular cancer
  - Control
    - Breast cancer
    - Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
    - Small cell lung cancer
    - Ovarian cancer
  - Palliation
    - Relieve pain
    - Relieve obstruction
    - Improve the sense of well-being
Effect on cells
- Effective against dividing cells, so cancer cells escape death by staying in G0 phase (resting phase)
- Problem: Presence of drug-resistant resting and non-cycling cells
- As tumors get bigger, more cells become inactive and convert to G0
- Chemotherapy agents cannot distinguish between normal and
  cancer cells
- Side effects are result of destruction of normal cells

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