Chemotherapy drugs are pretty numerous and they fall into various categories following such criteria as the way they work, the relationship they establish with other drugs and the chemical structure they have. The origin of most drugs is in herbal extracts that are afterwards processed and combined in laboratories. And, last but not least, one drug may be found in various categories as they may have several effects on the body of the patient. Doctors have a very precise duty of getting fully informed about chemotherapy drugs and know how to combine them or in what order to prescribe them to cancer patients.
A first category of chemotherapy drugs is the one relying on alkylating agents. These drugs are pretty damaging to the bone marrow because they damage the DNA to prevent the cancerous cells from reproduction. Lots of cancer cases get treated with this kind of chemotherapy drugs, with the mention that doses are always kept low because of the risk to develop leukemia up to ten years after the cessation of the treatment. Platinum based medication is classified together with alkylating agents because of the similarity in their action.
Antimetabolites are another distinct class of chemotherapy drugs. They are prescribed for the treatment of leukemia, breast tumors, ovary and intestinal cancers and they also interfere not only with the DNA but also with the RNA.
The anthracyclines are another variety of chemotherapy drugs being part of the antibiotic group. Their action is directed against enzymes that contribute to the DNA replication and they are encountered in a wide variety of cancer treatments.
Next is the category of inhibitors. The topoisomerase inhibitors separate and copy the DNA strands being helpful for the treatment of leukemia besides many other types of cancer. The mitotic inhibitors are more natural-based derived from plants and they help in preventing enzymes from producing proteins required in cell reproduction. However, cancer patients undergo a huge risk with any chemical treatment they follow: these chemotherapy drugs may cause peripheral nerve damage to count only one of the health threats you may fear.
Last but not least, the corticosteroids are chemotherapy drugs derived from hormones and meant to treat myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia together with other diseases. In addition to decreasing the cancer cellular growth, they also have a positive impact on the way the body reacts to chemotherapy by reducing the possibility of developing allergic reactions or digestive side effects such as vomiting and nausea. Such medication doesn’t have to serve for cancer chemotherapy purposes exclusively, as there are other diseases that can be fought with it.
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