Chemotherapy

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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