Related topics: cancer , cancer cells
Chemotherapy
hideChemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, both good and bad, but specifically those of micro-organisms or cancerous tumours. In popular usage, it refers to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen. In its non-oncological use, the term may also refer to antibiotics (antibacterial chemotherapy). In that sense, the first modern chemotherapeutic agent was Paul Ehrlich's arsphenamine, an arsenic compound discovered in 1909 and used to treat syphilis. This was later followed by sulfonamides discovered by Domagk and penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming.
Most commonly, chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of cancer cells. This means that it also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; this results in the most common side effects of chemotherapy—myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract) and alopecia (hair loss).
Other uses of cytostatic chemotherapy agents (including the ones mentioned below) are the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis and the suppression of transplant rejections (see immunosuppression and DMARDs). Newer anticancer drugs act directly against abnormal proteins in cancer cells; this is termed targeted therapy.
For more information about Chemotherapy, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with chemotherapy
Radiology procedure may help increase long-term survival in patients with severe liver cancer
19 hours ago |
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In patients with unresectable (unable to be removed by surgery) liver cancer, an interventional radiology procedure called triple-drug transcatheter arterial chemoemobolization (TACE) followed by a liver transplant may significantly ...
Magnetic Nanotags Spot Cancer in Mice Earlier Than Current Methods
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an innovative biosensor chip developed by Stanford University ...
Persistent pain common for many women 2 to 3 years after breast cancer treatment
Nov 10, 2009 |
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Nearly 50 percent of women surveyed indicate they experience pain symptoms 2 to 3 years after breast cancer treatment, with women who were younger or who received supplemental radiation therapy more likely to have pain, according ...
Drug shrinks lung cancer tumors in mice
Nov 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A potential new drug for lung cancer has eliminated tumours in 50% of mice in a new study published today in the journal Cancer Research. In the animals, the drug also stopped lung cancer ...
PMH finding may help some tonsil cancer patients avoid chemotherapy
Nov 03, 2009 |
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Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have confirmed that patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer ("tonsil cancer") harbour a common type of human papilloma virus (HPV16), but also that such cancers ...
Smart drug delivery system -- Gold nanocage covered with polymer (w/ Video)
Nov 01, 2009 |
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In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or ...
Exercise is good medicine for lymphoma patients
Oct 27, 2009 |
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A healthy dose of exercise is good medicine, even for lymphoma patients receiving chemotherapy, University of Alberta researchers have found.
Canadian cardiology team clears the way for lifesaving breast cancer treatment
Oct 26, 2009 |
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A team of Canadian cardiologists, in collaboration with oncologists, are playing an important role in the war against breast cancer Dr. Michael McDonald told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart ...
Melanoma treatment options one step closer
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically ...
Exercise reduces fatigue in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
Oct 14, 2009 |
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Supervised exercise programmes that include high and low intense cardiovascular and resistance training can help reduce fatigue in patients with cancer who are undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy or treatment for advanced disease. ...
Magnetic nanotags spot cancer in mice earlier than methods now in clinical use
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (8) |
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Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an innovative biosensor chip developed by Stanford University ...
Ohio wife, husband both battling breast cancer
Oct 12, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A husband and wife are both undergoing treatment for breast cancer in a case that illustrates how the disease can strike both sexes. Mike and Barbara Welsh, of Monroe, in southwestern Ohio, each had surgery this ...
Targeting tumors: Researchers develop more precise approach to delivery of chemotherapy drugs
Oct 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Chemotherapy is one of the most effective ways to fight cancer, but the toxic medicine can cause collateral damage to healthy tissue. UC Irvine's Kenneth Longmuir, physiology & biophysics ...
Prediction model superior to traditional criteria in bladder treatment decision
Oct 12, 2009 |
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A statistical model can accurately predict which patients will have poor outcomes after bladder surgery and can determine the need for chemotherapy. The analysis, to be published in the December 1, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer ...
New US law helps ill students keep health coverage
Oct 09, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A federal law inspired by a New Hampshire woman's courage and enacted through her mother's determination took effect Friday, sparing seriously ill or injured college students from having to choose ...
