Ally Maas
EN 102-015
Professor Wheat
October 19, 2014
Is Chemotherapy worth the risks?
Chemotherapy is the treatment of a disease with the use of strong potent chemicals. The use of these chemicals is widely debated today for it is known to cause some side effects while being treated and even after being treated. When fighting such a deadly disease, any small amount of hope or determination, I believe can help. With any type of cancer you are at the edge of life or death, either you can have surgery, experience chemotherapy treatments, or you can hope a holistic approach works for you. In some circumstances surgery is not even an option, so the product with the highest success rate is chemotherapy. Whether is causes more harm or causes you
…show more content…
Its main purpose is to kill the cancer cells, and to stop them from spreading even further throughout the body. It even can kill the cancer cells that have broken off and traveled throughout the blood stream. Cancer cells usually reproduce more quickly than normal cells, making it extremely hard to cure and treat cancer; making chemotherapy a probable solution. It interferes with the production of the DNA in the cells and disallows the cells to reproduce or enter the stages of reproduction in the cells (the cell cycle). In the cell cycle, it inhibits the reproduction of DNA, which is completed in the S2 phase of interphase (which prepares the cell for cell division). It also helps with the ease of the pain of cancer, which is far worse then the effects of cancer itself. Chemotherapy can be given to a person in multiple forms, including the use of an IV, a shot, a pill or liquid, a cream that is rubbed on your body. There are different cycles of chemotherapy; you can receive treatment everyday, once a week, or once a month. Every cycle of chemotherapy you complete is followed by a period of rest to allow some of your healthy cells to grow back, to rebuild …show more content…
Alkylating agents are extremely active in the resting phase of the cell. The drug can therefore slow down the process and allow the cells to rest longer, and stop them from continuously growing. Plant alkaloids attack the cells during its division process (interphase, mitosis, meiosis). It is derived from various types of plants, mainly the Pacific Yew Tree, and made into topoisomerase inhibitors. According to alpha med press, an esteemed medical journal, Dr, Mark J Ratain describes it as “Topoisomerase inhibitors are a new class of anticancer agents with a mechanism of action aimed at interrupting DNA replication in cancer cells, the result of which is cell death.” Another form of chemotherapy is the line of antitumor antibiotics, which are used to keep the cancer cells from multiplying by inhibiting the replication of
Cancer is one of the 9 National Health Priority Areas (NHPA), areas which account for a significant portion of the burden of disease, but have sizeable potential for improvement. In Australia, CRC is the second most common cancer, after prostate (in men) and breast cancer (in women) (AIHW, Cancer incidence projections). The incidence has gradually increased (by 13% in males from 1982-2007) (AIHW, Cancer in Australia an overview). This is compounded by the ageing population and population growth, with 14,860 new cases in 2010 (http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/bowel-cancer). This graph demonstrates this upward trend ((AIHW, Cancer incidence projections):
1. Chemotherapy tends to be the conventional lung cancer treatment used that everyone has heard of. Today it uses a cocktail of over 100 different drugs and works by destroying the cancerous cells and stopping their spread. However, although considered to be an acceptable treatment, it does tend to cause many unwanted side-effects.
Chemotherapy is the treatment of a tumor with chemical agents to reduce mass or eradicate a tumor completely. There are certain mechanisms by which chemotherapy inhibits cancer. The first mechanism is cell death by cytotoxicity. Some chemical agents in certain amounts are toxic to cells. The cells die due to the toxic...
In 2013, the United States was said to have an estimated 1.6 million cancer patients. The majority of cancer patients turn to chemotherapy in hope to kill off all the spreading cancer cells so they can have a chance to live again. Chemotherapy is defined as the use of any drug to treat any disease, however people most commonly associate chemotherapy with drugs used to treat cancer. Although chemotherapy could be very effective, the rate of success solely depends on the type of cancer the patient has and could potentially be only one or two percent successful.
The topic of this article is medication error related to chemotherapy drugs. Forty percent of medication errors have been related to chemotherapy drugs. It is imperative that the nurses are properly trained on these medications and fully understand what is being administered before giving it to the patient as well as know what the proper dose is before administering anything to the patient. More importantly the nurse must pay close attention to their patient’s response to the chemotherapy given to the patient or it could lead to a serious injury or death.
...rapy and surgery, its used only if the cancer comes back. Surgery is the treatment of injuries of the body by incision with instruments. Depending on what stage the cancer is in, the patient may need multiple surgeries to completely treat the cancer. For the later stages in the cancer, surgery is the most common treatment. The option to have surgery depends on the size and the location of the cancer. With all this being said, if the cancer is found early enough, there is a better chance of it getting cured. Some patients decide to use either chemotherapy or radiotherapy along with surgery, just to be safe. “For many patients, surgery will be combined with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy” (Cancer Treatment Centers Of America parag.3). By combining these treatments, there is a better chance of the cancer being cured.
... a healthy lifestyle, which can also be used to treat the physical effects of cancer. Methods to lessen the psychological effects of cancer include “psychotherapy, support group therapy and antidepressant medication” (Cancer Complications, n.d.). Because cancer is such a painful illness that has many negative implications on the patient and those who are involved, many who have cancer tend to feel depressed and alone. With the support of fellow cancer patients and survivors, the pain of such a situation can be lessened.
In the physical dimension, the patient might decides to stop chemo based on his/her family genetic inherited. If they had a family member who passed away from lung cancer, they will use that to decide to continue with chemo or not. I believe experiences really impact their decisions. Age is other significant factor; if they are middle-age adults or elderly, they might want to enjoy the time with their love ones instead of being depressed about the cancer.
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals to cure cancer. Chemotherapy is also known as “chemo”. The term for chemo came from the German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich around the year 1900. He came up with the term when he was examining aniline dyes and arsenicals as possible treatments for diseases such as syphilis. He envisioned “magic bullets” that would be able to target invading organisms but still leave the host unscathed. This goal has been providing therapeutic benefits without many side effects in all areas of drug development. There has been a lot of success with compounds that modulate normal biochemistry within the body.
According to SEER Statistics, 23,380 people are estimated to get a brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis. Out of those people, 14,320 people are estimated to die from their brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a tumor that is cancerous is a malignat tumor, whereas a benign tumor does not contain cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiaton exposure. Although they are not always due to a brain tumor, comon symptoms include headaches, nausea, speech, hearing, vision, and mood changes, problems with balance and mamories, seizures, and numbness in arms and legs (National Cancer Institute). MRI and CT scans as well as surgical biposies (or the removal of part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is “ the use of powerful drugs to kill tumor cells”. There are a few different types of chemotherapy, but all of which bring out the same kinds of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know of the emotional toll chemotherapy can take on a patient and his or her family as they go though this process.
It's not just surgery that can hurt you chemotherapy kills healthy cells along with cancer cells and it also can infect healthy cells. Chemotherapy has killed more than it has helped! Many doctors have admitted to giving chemotherapy even though they didn't need it . even simple medicines or pills have side effects that completely out bad the good and some are only bad and cause more conditions and ninety-eight percent of regular cancer drugs fail really bad as well as almost assured to make cancer patients sicker and make them spend money on those
The East Pennsboro elementary school raised money for a statue at a local park. The statue was a ring of children that were holding hands. There was one child missing; the link was broken. The statue was dedicated to East Pennsboro students that did not make it to their graduation. My sophomore year of high school inspired this piece of artwork.
When one hears the word “cancer”, thoughts about how their previous life is about to change cloud the mind, but when one hears the word cancer for their child, it is a whole different outlook; the affects of childhood cancer are not only taken on by the patients, but also by their families; the affects can range from emotionally to physically, socially to financially, and even educationally. “Childhood cancer is considered rare, especially compared with adults. Still it’s the leading cause of death in children pre-adolescent, school-aged children” (Report: Childhood Cancer Rates Continue to Rise, but Treatment Helps Drive Down Deaths). Around 12,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year and around one in five children that are diagnosed with cancer will die.
What exactly is Chemotherapy and why would it also kill “good” cells? Cancer could be described as the disease that sends cells out of control, rapidly multiplying the cells, until it harms the body. Chemotherapy is an effective drug treatment intended to treat individuals with various forms of cancer. Generally, this type of treatment is nonspecific, and non-molecular that uses chemical agents to break down all dividing cells. Chemotherapy, or chemo for short, destroys cancer cells, and can also cease the reproduction or spreading of these cells. Despite having apparent benefits, this type of treatment comes at a cost, presenting several disadvantages and side effects. Chemotherapy comes with a heavy burden, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, infections, and fatigue is a few of the short-term side effects. This analysis examines chemotherapy as a type of cancer treatment, as well as evaluating complimentary and alternative medicines.
Studies were taken to see how women ranked their cancer outcome and their faith in God. If you have the power to believe in God in can increase your chances of beating cancer. One must trust in God and lean to Him, instead of relying on modern day science. The scientists can come up with different treatments and drugs but the almighty Healer has the final say so. God sees and knows all before we do. He knows how everything will pan out. When will a cure be invented or when will God reveal cancer clearance? Why is it that cancer is the most aggressive and steadily fast disease known to man? The more you put your faith and trust in God the greater chances you have to beat cancer. Adding stress to your illness can only affect it in a negative light. When you cast all your fears and doubts to God, it is Him that will see you through and provide a cure. It is Him that will ease your pain, the medicine is a bandage to cover up pain while God is waiting on you to rely on Him. Not