Chemotherapy: The Use of Cytotoxic Drugs In Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy is the term used for cancer treatment with cytotoxic drugs. Cancer drugs are increasingly being used in a variety of healthcare settings, laboratories and veterinary clinics for the treatment of cancer and other medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and auto-immune disorders.
Cytotoxic drugs are therapeutic agents that are used in chemotherapy to destroy certain cells or prevent their regrowth. These chemotherapy drugs are known to be highly toxic to cells, mainly through their action on cell reproduction. These drugs are mainly used to treat cancer. Due to the fact that cytotoxic drugs attack cancerous cells as well as healthy ones, they can cause a variety of side effects. Different cytotoxic drugs do this in different ways. However, they all tend to work by interfering with some aspect of how the cells divide and multiply.
Chemotherapy Works Best Where Cancer Spreads Rapidly
Cytotoxic drugs work best in cancers where the cancer cells are rapidly dividing and multiplying. Most normal cells in the body such as muscle cells, heart cells, brain cells, bone cells, etc., do not divide and multiply very often. They are usually not affected by cytotoxic drugs. However, some normal cells in the body divide and multiply quite rapidly as well. For example, hair cells, bone marrow cells, and cells lining the mouth and gut. These may be affected by cytotoxic drugs and lead to side-effects. However, as a general rule, normal cells can renew themselves better than cancer cells and can usually recover quite well following treatment.
There are more than 30 different cytotoxic drugs. In each case, the one chosen for chemotherapy depends on the type and stage of the disease, mainly cancer. Research continues to find new cancer drugs and better cytotoxic drug combinations.
Other Uses Of Cytotoxic Drugs
Apart from their use in chemotherapy for cancer, cytotoxic drugs can be used to treat many forms of arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as conditions such as steroid-resistant polymyositis or dermatomyositis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, polyarteritis or some forms of vasculitis.
Cytotoxic drugs are powerful and the chemotherapy process often causes unwanted side-effects. They work by killing cells which are dividing and so some normal cells are damaged too. However, side-effects vary from drug to drug, and even with the same drug, different people react differently. Some people develop more severe side-effects than others who take the same drug. Sometimes, if side-effects are particularly severe, a change to a different drug may be an option.
Important Side Effects Of Chemotherapy
Fatigue: Fatigue or tiredness is one of the most common side-effect of the cytotoxic drugs. Usually, patients feel more tired during a course of chemotherapy and have to cut back their normal activities.
Nausea and Vomiting: It is common to feel sick (nausea) during and after each cycle of treatment. Anti-sickness medication is usually advised and is commonly taken at the same time as, or just before, a cycle of chemotherapy.
Effects on the Blood and Immune System: Cytotoxic drugs can affect the bone marrow. Problems which may occur include anemia, serious infections like level of white blood cells going down and bleeding problems due to the low number of platelets in the blood.
Mouth Problems: The cells which line the mouth are affected by some cytotoxic drugs. This may lead to a sore mouth, a dry mouth, or other mouth problems.
Hair Loss: Some cytotoxic drugs damage the hair-making cells. Some or all of the patient’s hair may fall out. This usually occurs two to three weeks after a course of treatment starts. Body hair and eyelashes may also fall out in addition to scalp hair. This is the most visible symptom of chemotherapy.
Diarrhea: Some cytotoxic drugs may have this side-effect. Patients may require anti-diarrhea medicines and in some cases even need to be admitted to the hospital if they become dehydrated due to severe diarrhea caused by chemotherapy drugs.
Nerve Problems: Some drugs can affect nerves which may lead to a lack of sensation in parts of the body such as the fingers or toes, pins and needles, or weakness of muscles.
Fertility: Some chemotherapy drugs can affect fertility in both men and women, which could be temporary and in some cases, permanent. In that case, one option could be for men to store sperm or women to store ova (eggs) before chemotherapy treatment begins.
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