Chemotherapy--using toxic drugs to kill fast-dividing cells--is a common cancer treatment. Upon entering a cancer cell, chemotherapy drugs can damage essential molecules such as DNA, inhibit cellular metabolism, and directly induce cancer cell death. Though chemotherapy drugs have a range of actions, many drugs prove effective in treating several forms of cancer. Doctors may choose from several chemotherapy treatment options to effectively manage the symptoms of cancer growth and potentially induce tumor remission.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy
A common type of chemotherapy treatment is adjuvant chemotherapy, which seeks to control cancer growth and, if possible, induce cancer remission. Adjuvant chemotherapy can involve the use of any number of chemotherapy drugs, used alone or in combination, chosen by a doctor based on the characteristics of an individual's cancer. During treatment, patients receive several moderate doses of chemotherapy over the course of several weeks. Continued exposure to the chemotherapy drug leads to cancer cell death, hopefully leading to significant tumor shrinkage. Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy may suffer from side effects of treatment, due to damage to healthy cells. MedlinePlus indicates that the most common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea and vomiting, hair loss and a feeling of tiredness.
High-Dose Chemotherapy
In cases of very aggressive cancer, patients may receive high-dose chemotherapy to fight the disease. Unlike adjuvant chemotherapy, where patients receive a moderate drug dose over several weeks to help minimize side effects, patients undergoing high dose chemotherapy receive higher doses of the drug over a shorter period of time. As a result, patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy often experience profound side effects of treatment, such as profound bone marrow damage, which may require a bone marrow transplant after treatment. A study published in Annals of Oncology in 2006 indicates that high-dose chemotherapy, combined with bone marrow transplantation, was effective in treating patients with recurrent Ewing's sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. The use of high-dose chemotherapy to treat other forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, is still under investigation.
Palliative Chemotherapy
In some cases, patients suffering significant pain due to advanced cancer growth may receive palliative therapy. This treatment seeks not to treat the disease, but instead to relieve pain and improve the patient's quality of life, reports the Colon Cancer Resource. Palliative chemotherapy can help partially shrink tumors placing painful pressure on surrounding tissues, and help shrink cancer growth preventing proper organ functioning. As a result, patients receiving palliative chemotherapy may, in some cases, continue to live at home as their diseases progress, instead of requiring extended hospital visits. Palliative chemotherapy may be combined with other palliative treatments, such as radiation or surgery, to help relieve the patient's pain.
References
- MedlinePlus: Cancer Chemotherapy
- Annals of Oncology: High dose chemotherapy with bone marrow or peripheral stem cell rescue is an effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or progressive Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours
- Colon Cancer Resource: Palliative Chemotherapy And Other Palliative Medical Care
