how does chemotherapy work to treat cancer?

Question

please dont say i dont know

Answer 1

Chemotheraphy is one way of treatment for Cancer in which the Cancerous cells are destroyed by chemicals. Read further for full details -

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells due to damage to DNA (mutations) and, occasionally, due to an inherited propensity to develop certain tumours. Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body - in other words, the body attacks its own cells. In contrast, transplant rejection happens because a normal healthy human immune system can distinguish foreign tissues and attempts to destroy them. Also the reverse situation, called graft-versus-host disease, may take place.

Broadly, most chemotherapeutic drugs work by impairing mitosis (cell division), effectively targeting fast-dividing cells. As these drugs cause damage to cells they are termed cytotoxic. Some drugs cause cells to undergo apoptosis (so-called "cell suicide").

Unfortunately, scientists have yet to be able to locate specific features of malignant and immune cells that would make them uniquely targetable (barring some recent examples, such as the Philadelphia chromosome as targeted by imatinib). This means that other fast dividing cells such as those responsible for hair growth and for replacement of the intestinal epithelium (lining) are also affected. However, some drugs have a better side-effect profile than others, enabling doctors to adjust treatment regimens to the advantage of patients in certain situations.

As chemotherapy affects cell division, tumours with high growth fractions (such as acute myelogenous leukemia and the lymphomas, including Hodgkin's disease) are more sensitive to chemotherapy, as a larger proportion of the targeted cells are undergoing cell division at any time.

Chemotherapeutic drugs affect "younger" tumours (i.e. less differentiated) more effectively, because at a higher grade of differentiation, the propensity to growth usually decreases. Near the center of some solid tumours, cell division has effectively ceased, making them insensitive to chemotherapy. Another problem with solid tumours is the fact that the chemotherapeutic agent often does not reach the core of the tumour. Solutions to this problem include radiation therapy (both brachytherapy and teletherapy) and surgery-.

Answer 2

How Chemotherapy Works

Answer 3

Chemotherapy is a method of killing cancer cells delivered by drugs. A regimen of chemotherapy is usually called a "protocol". Sometimes it is only one drug that is used sometimes it is more than one drug - a cocktail so to speak.
Chemo agents are very toxic and certain chemo drugs kill certain types of cancers. An Oncologist will use a protocol found to be effective against a specific cancer. The drug(s) kill off the cancer cells and as stated before the bad thing is that the drug(s) also kill off good cells. This is what causes side effects. Side effects can range from very mild to very nasty - and I don't want to scare you if you are about to undergo chemo but sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease. I underwent an aggressive protocol that almost killed me but that was over a year ago and so far so good. I have no evidence of disease to this point. Chemo can be nasty but the alternative can be even nastier...
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

There are many different kinds of chemotherapy. Some of them work by stimulating your bodys immune system to attack the tumor. Other chemotherapies work to interrupt the cancer cell division during different periods of cell replication which kills the cancer cells.
Chemotherapy not only wipes out the cancer cells, but also takes out the good kind of cells
Cancer RN

Answer 5

Chemotherapy works like a poison in your system (because the medication is very strong) to kill or reduce the cancer, but it also poisons your body which is the reason it is so hard to have chemotherapy and why you lose our hair. It is a difficult treatment and I admire people who go through it. I would do it too if I thought there was a chance it would kill the cancer.

Hope I helped.

Answer 6

Chemo kills fast growing cells, which is cancer cells and things like hair and cells in the gut. This causes hair to fall out and gastro problems, like diarrhoea. Sometimes it doesnt kill all the cells or they cant find the right chemo combination to stop the cancer growth.

Answer 7

Chemo basically kills any fast-reproducing cells in your body. That is why you lose your hair, your nails don't grow, women don't ovulate, etc. Hopefully, the tumor's cells will be killed also. After chemo, the good stuff grows back and hopefully, the bad stuff doesn't. Hope this helps.
Best wishes.

Answer 8

It kills the cancer cells but the bad thing it kills the good cells too.

Answer 9

I think the second site will be of better help. :D