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. Medical science and professional competence in the health care realm involves a good knowledge of chemotherapy drugs and their specificity.
Alkylating agents is a first class of chemotherapy drugs worth mentioning. These drugs are pretty damaging to the bone marrow because they destroy the DNA to stop the reproduction of the cancerous cells. This type of chemotherapy drugs is used in a wide variety of cancers and it is recommended only in small dosage to reduce the risk of leukemia that may appear 5 or 10 years after following the recommended chemotherapy treatment. The platinum based drugs are sometimes included in the same category because they act in a very similar manner against the disease.
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 type of chemotherapy drugs being part of the antibiotic group. Their action is directed against enzymes that contribute to the DNA replication which is why they prove efficient in a large number of cancer cases.
The category of inhibitors comes next. 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. Even so, cancer patients undergo a huge risk with any chemical treatment they follow: these chemotherapy drugs could cause peripheral nerve damage to count only one of the health threats you may fear.
Finally, the corticosteroids are chemotherapy drugs based on hormones and designed to treat myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia together with other diseases. In addition to reducing the speed of cell growth, they also have a good impact on the way the body reacts to chemotherapy by preventing nausea, vomiting or other types of allergic reactions. 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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