Chemotherapy and its Adverse Effects – A Systematic Review

Abstract

Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy meant to destroy rapidly growing cells in the body. It’s usually used to treat cancer, as cancer cells grow and divide faster than other cells. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other therapies, such as surgery, radiation, or hormone therapy. Usually, cancer drugs work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. If the cancer cells are unable to divide, they die. The faster that cancer cells divide, the more likely it is that chemotherapy will kill the cells, causing the tumor to shrink. They also induce cell suicide (self-death or apoptosis). Chemotherapy drugs that kill cancer cells only when they are dividing are called cell-cycle specific. Chemotherapy drugs that kill cancer cells when they are at rest are called cell-cycle non-specific. The scheduling of chemotherapy is set based on the type of cells, rate at which they divide, and the time at which a given drug is likely to be effective. This is why chemotherapy is typically given in cycles. Chemotherapy is most effective at killing cells that are rapidly dividing.