Chemotherapy Side Effects and Syndromes: Difference between revisions
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== Definition/Description == | == Definition/Description == | ||
Chemotherapy is the use of medicines or drugs to treat a disease, such as cancer. This treatment is often just called “chemo.” Two other medical terms used to describe cancer chemotherapy are antineoplastic (meaning anti-cancer) therapy and cytotoxic (cell-killing) therapy. Chemotherapy differs from surgery or radiation in that it’s almost always used<br>as a systemic treatment. This means the drugs travel throughout the body to reach cancer cells wherever they are.<ref name="TWO" /> Chemo can kill cancer cells that have metastasized or spread to parts of the body far away from the primary (original) tumor. <ref name="one">Understanding Chemotherapy: A Guide for Patients and Families [Internet]. 2007 March 7 [cited 2013 March 21] Available from: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003025-pdf.pdf</ref> | Chemotherapy is the use of medicines or drugs to treat a disease, such as cancer. This treatment is often just called “chemo.” Two other medical terms used to describe cancer chemotherapy are antineoplastic (meaning anti-cancer) therapy and cytotoxic (cell-killing) therapy. Chemotherapy differs from surgery or radiation in that it’s almost always used<br>as a systemic treatment. This means the drugs travel throughout the body to reach cancer cells wherever they are.<ref name="TWO" /> Chemo can kill cancer cells that have metastasized or spread to parts of the body far away from the primary (original) tumor. <ref name="one">Understanding Chemotherapy: A Guide for Patients and Families [Internet]. 2007 March 7 [cited 2013 March 21] Available from: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003025-pdf.pdf</ref> | ||
The first drug used for cancer chemotherapy did not start out as a medicine. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was studied further during World War II. During a military operation in World War II, a group of people were accidentally exposed to mustard gas and were later found to have very low white blood cell counts. Doctors reasoned that something that damaged the rapidly growing white blood cells might have a similar effect on cancer. So, in the 1940s, several patients with advanced lymphomas (cancers of certain white blood cells) were given the drug by vein, rather than by breathing the irritating gas. Their improvement, although temporary, was remarkable. That experience led researchers to look for other substances that might have similar effects against cancer. As a result, many other drugs have been developed.<ref name="TWO" /> | The first drug used for cancer chemotherapy did not start out as a medicine. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was studied further during World War II. During a military operation in World War II, a group of people were accidentally exposed to mustard gas and were later found to have very low white blood cell counts. Doctors reasoned that something that damaged the rapidly growing white blood cells might have a similar effect on cancer. So, in the 1940s, several patients with advanced lymphomas (cancers of certain white blood cells) were given the drug by vein, rather than by breathing the irritating gas. Their improvement, although temporary, was remarkable. That experience led researchers to look for other substances that might have similar effects against cancer. As a result, many other drugs have been developed.<ref name="TWO" /> | ||
Depending on the type of cancer, its stage, and where you are in the treatment process, the goal of chemo is to: cure the cancer, keep the cancer from spreading, slow the cancer’s growth, kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body, and relieve symptoms caused by cancer.<ref name="ONE" /> | |||
== Prevalence == | == Prevalence == |
Revision as of 19:38, 21 March 2013
Original Editors -Alisha Dye & Monica Toole Students from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.
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Definition/Description[edit | edit source]
Chemotherapy is the use of medicines or drugs to treat a disease, such as cancer. This treatment is often just called “chemo.” Two other medical terms used to describe cancer chemotherapy are antineoplastic (meaning anti-cancer) therapy and cytotoxic (cell-killing) therapy. Chemotherapy differs from surgery or radiation in that it’s almost always used
as a systemic treatment. This means the drugs travel throughout the body to reach cancer cells wherever they are.[1] Chemo can kill cancer cells that have metastasized or spread to parts of the body far away from the primary (original) tumor. [2]
The first drug used for cancer chemotherapy did not start out as a medicine. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was studied further during World War II. During a military operation in World War II, a group of people were accidentally exposed to mustard gas and were later found to have very low white blood cell counts. Doctors reasoned that something that damaged the rapidly growing white blood cells might have a similar effect on cancer. So, in the 1940s, several patients with advanced lymphomas (cancers of certain white blood cells) were given the drug by vein, rather than by breathing the irritating gas. Their improvement, although temporary, was remarkable. That experience led researchers to look for other substances that might have similar effects against cancer. As a result, many other drugs have been developed.[1]
Depending on the type of cancer, its stage, and where you are in the treatment process, the goal of chemo is to: cure the cancer, keep the cancer from spreading, slow the cancer’s growth, kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body, and relieve symptoms caused by cancer.[3]
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
Characteristics/Clinical Presentation[edit | edit source]
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Medications[edit | edit source]
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Systemic Involvement[edit | edit source]
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Medical Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
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Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Understanding Chemotherapy: A Guide for Patients and Families [Internet]. 2007 March 7 [cited 2013 March 21] Available from: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003025-pdf.pdf
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2013 [Internet]. 2013. [cited 2013 March 21]. Available from: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-036845.pdf