21 Simple Pros & the Cons of Chemotherapy Treatment

Chemotherapy is synonymous with treatment of drugs. The chemotherapy involves the use of the anti-cancer drugs that help to destroy the cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy can be used along with the combinations of surgery and immunotherapies. It is only used to treat a particular type of cancers and not all. The cells in the body divide to grow. This is normal. But the problem arises when the cells divide abnormally. These results in the formation of lumps of tissues and are known as tumours.

For example in the case of leukemia, the white blood cells are produced more. The genetic structure of the cells is dealt in the process of healing the cancer cells thus reversing their health. The chemotherapy suffers from a major drawback because it attacks the healthy cells in the process of healing. Though it is temporary, the damages have already been done. The side effects are including the hair loss, nausea, anemia and sores in the mouth. The chemotherapeutic drugs are administered in four ways. They are intrathecal, oral, intravenous, and intramuscular. One of these methods are administered to a person based on the disease’s effectiveness and the drug used to administer.

Let’s see the pros and cons of Chemotherapy!

Pros of Chemotherapy:

The benefits of the chemotherapy depend upon the stages of the cancer.

1. For those with the beginning stage can eradicate the problem of cancer completely.
2. In people who are in the advanced stage can only resort to either control or suppress the activities of the cancerous cells.
3. The chemotherapy has a success rate that has been proven over the decade. It has earned the trust of the many patients on whom the chemotherapy was administered.
4. It normally cures the affliction of a person. In case of not being able to cure the life of the person it may at least extend his life.
5. In the case of advanced stage cancers the patient’s survival will be increased by monitoring the symptoms.
6. The doctors suggest administering the patient with chemotherapy, because that helps him to remove the possibilities of developing the problem again.
7. Surgeries are not required to cure some cancers effectively using these chemotherapeutic drugs.
8. The rest of the cancers are controlled by the chemotherapeutic drugs so as to weaken them.
9. It is very promising. It has its own record of curing people over the years.
10. The drugs used in the chemotherapy will through the bloodstream help in the transportation of the drugs to all the places of the body to destroy the cancer cells.

Chemotherapy Cons:

There are few drawbacks in it. They are,

1. The most visible form of the side effect is the hair loss. Though not all chemotherapeutic drugs cause this, it has been said that some of them cause it. The hair loss is not permanent. They start to grow once after the completion of the treatment. But the hair starts to grow in different textures and color after that.
2. The people fill feel loss in appetite. This occurrence is very natural and the person also develops changes in taste and preferences. The person will wish to eat only a little food that helps them to stay put. It is necessary for the person to eat more foods that are healthy and to drink more water to keep them hydrated all day long. This must be done without likes and dislikes.
3. The persons who have undergone chemotherapy will be more prone to the attacks of diseases. This is because the person’s white blood cells will be less when compared to the amount that existed previously. This generally happens for the first few weeks after the chemotherapy.
4. Some people do not respond well to the treatment and so they will be kept under special care.
5. The chemotherapy is not done in all the clinics and hospitals and the person will have to go long distances to undertake the treatments.
6. Some types of chemotherapy will require the person to stay in hospitals, although some person will be fit to go home after it.
7. They also decrease the quality of the life of the person. So it is recommended to ask the doctor about the worthy aspects of taking the chemotherapy.
8. Sometimes chemotherapy causes a person to die. This is a grave issue to consider while applying for the treatment.
9. It does not at all cases heal the patient from the cancer but it only increases the life span of the patient.
10. The patient will start to feel discomfort over the course of the treatment. The discomforts include nausea, headaches and irritations.
11. The chemicals used in the drugs must be carefully selected and used on the person.

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Nowadays the science and technology has developed so much that it is easy to cure any type of disease when proper guidance is given. If the technology is used properly the side effects can be reversed.