Chemotherapy Treatment

When our body cells are damaged or die, we produce new replacement. This happens in an orderly manner, in a balanced manner. Cancer cells that do not have adequate capacity - their propagation (division and growth) out of control - more and more of them were produced, and they start getting more and more space until they eventually push out valuable space taken up by cells.

Chemotherapy (chemo) drugs affect the ability of a cancer cell dividing and reproducing. Chemotherapeutic drugs can be used in the bloodstream to attack cancer cells throughout the body, or can be delivered directly to specific cancer sites.

Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways:

* Affect mitosis (cell division to avoid) - these are known as cytostatics.

* Targeting of cancer cells, a source of food, enzymes and hormones, they need to grow.
* Halting the growth of new blood vessels that supply a tumor. In a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discovered which an entire class of commonly used chemotherapy drugs for destroying cancer by blocking blood vessel growth.

* Triggering suicide of cancer cells - cell suicide is medically known as apoptosis.

Patients may monotherapy or combination therapy:

* Monotherapy - but the patient gets a drug.

* Combination therapy - the patient more than one drug.

What type of patient receives will depend on the type of cancer the patient has, plus some other health considerations.

Chemotherapy may be given in the various stages
* Neo-adjuvant treatment - if the tumor is large, the surgeon before surgery to shrink it. This could involve some pre-operative chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy.

* Chemoradiation therapy - The chemotherapy given in combination with radiotherapy. Patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma localized where the tumor is located above the membrane to be given chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, European researchers reported after running a clinical trial. Another study reported that the solid tumor cells that survive chemoradiotherapy treatment often times stronger than before.

* Adjuvant therapy - chemotherapy given after surgery. The use of chemotherapy after surgery reduces the risk of death of operable pancreatic cancer by about 30%, a British study found.

Often age will determine whether chemotherapy should be used for all patients with certain cancers. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, found the United States, the combination of 5FU and oxaliplatin chemotherapy compared with 5FU alone after surgery for colon cancer colon cancer again and reduces promotes longer survival for patients younger than 70 - but not for those who are older.

How long is a course of chemotherapy?In most cases the best outcome for the patient will need regular chemotherapy over a given period. A protocol has been prepared for when reading sessions will occur and how long.

A course of chemotherapy, only one day of treatment, or may take a few weeks - it will depend on the type and stage of cancer (where it is advanced). If the patient has more than one course of treatment will require a rest period of his / her body to recover. This is a day treatment, followed by one week rest period, followed by a day treatment, followed by a rest period lasted for three weeks, etc. This can be repeated.
How many health professionals involved in chemotherapy?
This will depend on the working practices of your hospital, or even the country you live in. In most countries there is a multidisciplinary team to treat cancer patients.These may include:

* A clinical oncology - a doctor specializing in cancer, but not to do surgery. He / she is specialized in chemotherapy.

* A nurse cancer - probably the first person the patient will meet you where you chemotherapy.

* A hematologist - a physician who specializes in the study of blood and bone marrow.

* A pathologist - a doctor who specializes in identifying diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

* A psychologist - he / she will help the patient cope with the psychological and emotional testing of chemotherapy.

Blood tests before and during chemotherapy
Blood tests are needed to assess the health of the patient and ensure that he / she will be able to address possible side effects. For example, detecting blood tests liver problems, which may mean that chemotherapy is inappropriate for the patient, except the liver recovers. Chemotherapy chemicals metabolized (broken down) in the liver, which could suffer if it does not work.

Before chemotherapy, it is important that the patient's blood count tests since treatment of the red and white blood cells will decrease, and platelets. If a blood test a low blood count shows doctors may decide to defer treatment.

Researchers at the Paul Papin Cancer Center in Angers, France, reported that measuring drug concentrations in the blood of patients and its adaptation to the optimal dose could significantly reduce severe toxicity and improve efficacy in colorectal cancer.

Regular blood tests will continue during the treatment period, so the medical team can keep the blood count and status of the liver of the patient. As you can read further down this page after page, there is a risk that chemotherapy can lower white, red, and platelets.

Follow-up blood from the patient's doctor with important information about how well chemotherapy is working.