Chemotherapy

Treatment of cancerous cells with the help of drugs and chemicals is referred as Chemotherapy or Chemo. Antineoplastic drugs are used for the treatment of cancer cells. Cancer patients develop no tumor cells after chemotherapy treatment. It is used along with surgical treatment, biological treatment and radiation therapy. The first chemotherapeutic agent was first proposed by Paul Ehrlilchs in the year 1909. He treated syphilis with the help of arsenic compound, arsphenamine. Later, Domagk discovered sulphnomides and Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic, penicillin.

Chemotherapy working

Chemotherapy agent has the ability to stop the growth of rapidly growing cells. Healthy cells in line with intestines and mouth are affected. Side effects may arise when normal healthy cells are infected. Side effects will vanish when chemotherapy is over.

Treatment methods

Chemotherapy treatment can be used as curative or to reduce the palliative symptoms. Combined modality chemotherapy is used in conjunction with other treatments like radiation therapy and surgery. It utilizes multiple number of drugs. Depending on the combination of treatment, drugs have their mechanisms of action. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy shrinks the tumor cells just before surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy helps in complete destruction of cancer cells after radiation therapy and surgery. This reduces the chance of reoccurrence and resistance. Palliative chemotherapy helps in increasing life expectancy and reduces the sufferings.

Chemotherapeutic drugs

The chemotherapeutic drugs are classified as per Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.

• Antimetabolites: Retards the normal cell development and cell division
• Alkylating agents: It helps in direct target of abnormal cancer cells
• Vinca alkaloids: Alkaloids derived from Madagascar periwinkle and Catharanthus roseus help in assembly retardation of microtubules from tubulin during M phase of cell cycle
•  Plant alkaloids: Block M phase stage of cell division
• Taxanes: Chromosomes cannot be separated during anaphase stage of cell cycle
• Terpenoids
• Topoisomerase inhibitors
• Antineoplastics