Does cancer patient need chemotherapy?

Does cancer patient need chemotherapy? Is chemotherapy really harmful to the body?

Chemotherapy has always been the first-line treatment plan. In other words, chemotherapy is an effective treatment plan that has been scientifically demonstrated.

Regarding cancer, if it is said that which treatment is the most controversial, it must be chemotherapy. On the one hand, many cancer patients will receive chemotherapy after hospitalization. Over the years, dozens of editions of the tumor treatment guidelines have been updated. Chemotherapy has always been the first-line treatment option. In other words Chemotherapy is an effective treatment plan that has been scientifically proven, but we often see statements like “chemotherapy is a poison” and “chemotherapy is ineffective”. So what is chemotherapy? Does cancer need chemotherapy? Does chemotherapy hurt the body more than it helps? Today we will come to popular science.

What is chemotherapy for cancer?

Cancer chemotherapy, also known as cancer chemotherapy, refers to the use of chemical drugs to kill cancer cells to achieve the purpose of treatment. Chemotherapy is currently one of the most effective methods for the treatment of cancer, and together with surgery and radiotherapy, it is called the three major treatment methods for cancer.

Many people who have not been exposed to chemotherapy always think that chemotherapy is “mysterious”. In fact, chemotherapy is no different from ordinary infusions, except that the infused drugs have the effect of killing cancer cells. The only difference is that sometimes there is a drug outside the drug to avoid light. Black bag.

Chemotherapy drugs are infused into the blood vessels of the human body, and as the blood circulates throughout the body, the cancer cells are eliminated, thereby playing a therapeutic role.

Does cancer patient need chemotherapy?

I believe many people have this question. Does cancer need chemotherapy? Why do some cancers do not require chemotherapy while others require chemotherapy repeatedly?

In fact, whether to undergo chemotherapy and what chemotherapy regimen to perform is determined by the type and stage of the cancer.

Take lung cancer as an example. If small cell lung cancer is diagnosed, chemotherapy is usually the main one, which requires 6 cycles of regular chemotherapy, with a cycle of 21 days.

If it is non-small cell lung cancer, if the opportunity for surgery is lost, systemic chemotherapy is required. For patients who can be operated on, whether or not chemotherapy depends on the stage of the tumor. At this time, we are based on the TNM stage of the tumor. T: Tumor (Topography) , Represents the extent of the primary tumor; N: Lymph Node, represents the presence and extent of regional lymph node metastasis; M: Metastasis represents the presence or absence of distant metastasis.

After the operation, the tumor is divided into stages I, II, III, and IV according to the postoperative pathology and TNM staging. The earlier the stage, the better the surgical effect. For example, stage I lung cancer usually no longer needs radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery, while stage II, III, and IV lung cancer means that the risk of early tumor metastasis is higher. In order to further consolidate the effect, systemic chemotherapy is often required. 

Is chemotherapy harmful to the body?

Chemotherapy is a double-edged sword. While killing tumor cells, it will also cause certain damage to its own normal cells. At the same time, chemotherapy also has certain side effects, such as bone marrow suppression, digestive tract reactions, allergic reactions, changes in bowel habits and so on.

However, we cannot deny the contribution of chemotherapy to cancer because of its so-called side effects. Cancer is still the world’s number one problem. Chemotherapy is still the most classic non-surgical treatment since its invention. Even some blood system cancers rely solely on chemotherapy. It can be cured, which is very commendable.

Anyone will undergo a comprehensive evaluation before undergoing systemic chemotherapy. If it is considered that the patient cannot tolerate systemic chemotherapy temporarily, other adjuvant treatments will be performed first. In other words, we will evaluate the benefits and harms according to the patient’s condition. Systemic chemotherapy is given to the patient when the benefit is dominant.

In recent years, with the renewal of chemotherapy drugs, especially the application of drugs to reduce side effects, the pain and side effects of chemotherapy have been significantly reduced. Some patients have no discomfort until the end of chemotherapy. Therefore, if the condition requires it, it is recommended to follow the doctor’s advice and perform systemic chemotherapy regularly.

(source:internet, reference only)

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