Lethal Anti Cancer Drugs And The Treatment Of Treatment

1459 WordsMar 21, 20166 Pages
"Chemotherapy is employed as part of a multimodal approach to the treatment of many tumors" (Copra, 2016, pp.1). During the process of chemotherapy very potent anti-cancer drugs are used to interfere with the cancer cells ability to produce new DNA. There are approximately fifty different forms of chemotherapy that can be intermixed to provide the most efficient treatment of the cancer cells. They can receive chemotherapy medication orally or through an IV. If an IV is used, the patients are physically stuck with a needle during treatment, but due to the repetitive sticks, the veins cannot withstand that process for any length of time. In those cases, the patient can choose to have a life port place on either side of the front…show more content…
By taking other medications for nausea and low blood count, it can minimize many of the side effects caused by the chemotherapy. Even with the alternative medications, the patient may still suffer from the side effects. The long term side effects are, but not limited to, the development of other cancers, or permanent damage many vital organs such as the lungs and kidneys within the body. Finding ways to combat the damage from long-term cellular damage can be impossible. (Chopra, 2016; Schulmeister, 2014) Studies have shown that females will tend to have a higher rate of adverse reactions with the use of chemotherapy over males. Over fifty-one percent of adverse reactions are listed as not preventable, forty-two percent as probably avoidable, and only a mere seven percent are listed as preventable. With advancements in chemotherapy growing, so do the adverse reactions. The drugs are becoming more intense, and they offer a higher success rate with a lower risk of re-occurrence. The unfortunate side is the greater adverse reactions, such as nausea/vomiting, anemia, alopecia, constipation/ diarrhea, and fatigue. (Chopra, 2016; Schulmeister, 2014) Radiation Therapy The process of radiation therapy uses small amounts of very high-energy radiation to destroy the cancerous cells, making them unable to reproduce. "About 60% of all patients with cancer receive radiation therapy for curative intent, tumor control, or palliation of
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