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Chemotherapy refers to the treatment of a disease by means of chemicals meant to kill cells, typically cells of micro-organisms or cancer. Chemotherapy as the drug-based cancer treatment involves the elimination of the disease by stopping cancer cells from division. This treatment works by attacking and killing cells which divide very quickly as cancer cells do. Unfortunately, chemotherapy destroys other cells with a rapid division speed which is normal for the body functions; the bone marrow, the hair follicles and the digestive tract will be the most affected. Hence, the chemotherapy effects usually damage these areas. The most frequent side effects that become manifest during and after chemotherapy include myelosuppresion – decrease in the production of blood cells, mucositis – inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, and alopecia – hair loss.

Chemotherapy effects or side effects can be divided into two major groups as short and long term. Negative reactions to the treatment are normal, given the fact that  powerful chemicals do disturb the functions of the system. sometimes chemotherapy effects are taken for symptoms of cancer. Symptoms characterize the disease in fact, while the side effects represent natural adverse reactions to a chemical intervention in the body. Side effects vary depending on the type of drugs used in the treatment, with the mention that one single form of medication will not trigger all the possible adverse reactions in a patient.

In more general terms, chemotherapy affects those cells that divide at a quicker pace. The mouth, intestines, skin, hair, bone marrow (the spongy material that fills your bones and produces new blood cells) are mainly affected by chemotherapy. Since hair is growing all the time, the skin is constantly renewing itself and the lining of the mouth and digestive system have the same dynamics, then, the cells of all these body tissues must constantly divide to produce a steady supply of new cells. And, unfortunately, when cells are dividing, chemotherapy drugs attack them.

It is known that most drugs used in chemotherapy have side effects, yet, not all the patients get the same chemotherapy effects. The intensity of the experience, and their evolution during the treatment depend on many various factors. These elements refer to the period of drug administration, the dose or amount of drug, the administration mode, the patient’s overall health condition, as well as the combination of the chemotherapy drug with other medicines. Some chemotherapy effects represent serious medical conditions which must be dealt with; others, although upsetting, are not necessarily a major threat to the patient’s health. It is also relevant to discuss the effects of chemotherapy with the doctor and the contact person at the treating center where the patient is given the treatment.

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