Doctors and experts alike feel that for the majority of breast cancer cases, chemotherapy isn't always the best treatment choice. For the women it is right for, chemotherapy is capable of providing results that are both long term and effective.
Chemotherapy consists of using drugs to combat cancer. With the increasing sophistication of pharmacology, those drugs are safer, more effective and more targeted, with fewer side effects than ones of the past. Today, it's common to use a drug 'cocktail' in order to offset side effects and provide a more effective treatment.
The drugs used typically interfere with the cells' ability to divide, since that is one of the chief characteristics of cancers, an uncontrolled growth from abnormal cell division in breast cancer tissue.
Typically chemotherapy is used when a person's cancer is so advanced that it requires an intense and rigorous treatment to eliminate the cancer cells effectively. Cancer cell clumps are capable of growing and spreading to other areas. When this happens it is often a given that chemotherapy is the best solution.
Cancers can reappear. The causes of recurrence are not completely understood. In some cases it is possible that the original cancer wasn't completely gotten rid of. It is also possible that the true problem that originally caused the cancerous tumor is active and still present within the body, thus causing the cancer to rear its ugly head. Whatever the reason may, physicians typically use chemotherapy.
But one of the more serious complications with chemotherapy treatments is related to its side effects. Though the drugs are improving in this regard, chemotherapy treatments sometimes affect healthy cells as well as cancerous ones. That results in healthy systems being harmed and lessened in function.
Since some of that function is to fight disease such as the cancer itself, a double harm occurs. Radiation therapy has a similar drawback in that it compromises the immune system, which is part of what helps to fight the cancer and its effects.
Often an individual's digestive system is negatively affected. They might experience nausea, hair loss, and even have poor bone marrow composition. Bone marrow is used for different bodily functions. Most importantly it assists in the production of both white and red blood cells.
An individual might experience kidney, heart and other organ damage, but it is uncommon because the cells contained in these organs do not divide as frequently under normal circumstances. In a few studies concentration and memory loss were noted for some patients who underwent chemotherapy treatments. Females who are older sometimes find that their reproductive system might change, forcing them into premature menopause.
The drugs that are used today are tolerated better and more cancer specific than the drugs used in the past. They might help to cut off vessels that are responsible for supplying blood to the tumors thus encouraging the growth of the vessel. There are many different chemotherapy regimens, with each one being designed patient specific based on his or her circumstances.
Though it is not a pleasant experience, chemotherapy offers individuals the opportunity to fight against a formerly always fatal disease. Today, it is possible to survive long term, with fewer long term side effects. This is thanks to chemotherapy.
About the Author:
Can there really be a natural way to fight cancer cell ? Yes, fucoidan, was proven scientifically to do just that. The essence of brown seaweed Click Alternative Cancer Treatment to learn more about how it has help me and the 600+ researches backing it.
No comments:
Post a Comment