Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

Chemo Side Effects What is meant by regional perfusion? That is when the drugs circulate in a closed circuit through the bloodstream of the cancer affected region. A tourniquet prevents the drug from reaching and damaging sensitive organs beyond the cancerous area. The drug is injected through an artery to the cancerous area, is withdrawn from a vein by special tubes, and then recirculated through artery and vein by means of a pump oxygenator. Regional perfusion allows large doses of drugs to be directed to one spot in the body. It is especially suited to treating certain tumors in the arms and legs. For how long and how often will I be getting chemotherapy treatments?  The length of time and how often you will be having treatments depend upon the kind of cancer you have, the drugs being used, how long it takes your body to respond to the drugs, and how well you tolerate them. Treatment schedules vary widely. Chemotherapy may be given daily, weekly, or monthly. Some drug...

Chemotherapy Chemotherapy which simply means the use of drugs or medications to treat disease came into general use in the 1970s after clinical trials proved them to be effective in treating cancer. To many people, chemotherapy is frightening because of the fears of side effects that are sometimes caused by the use of the potent drugs needed to disrupt the cancer cells' ability to grow and multiply. The use of chemotherapy drugs has been greatly refined over the years, so that many of the earlier side effects have been modified. Chemotherapy may be given in several ways. Sometimes drugs are given in pill or capsule form and taken by mouth. Other times they may be injected into a muscle or given through a vein. How fast the cancer cells are destroyed may vary with the medication and the type of cancer. Because each drug acts on the cell in its own way, and at different times in the cell cycle, using them in combination can be more effective than using any one of them individually...