CHEMOTHERAPY

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs for cancer treatment. Cancer cells are rapidly dividing cells. The drugs used in this therapy usually targets the cells which are rapidly dividing, thereby destroying cancer cells. This therapy has major side effects. The drugs used in this treatment would eventually kill all the cells which are rapidly dividing. But after this treatment gets over, the normal cells would recover again. Chemotherapy has the potential to even damage healthy tissues. The cells that are present in the intestinal lining have a high replacement rate and hence this healthy tissue can be damaged during this therapy. Generally, a high dose of chemo-drugs are used in the treatment of leukemia’s and lymphomas. During the treatment of leukemia, the bone marrow gets ablated and hence the blood circulation is repopulated again. A secondary stem cell is harvested before the ablation of bone marrow. This is what is generally known as stem cell transplantation.