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