What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer of chemicals that destroy malignant cells. They are often referred to as cytostatic, cytotoxic, antitumor or anticancer drugs. Name of chemotherapy is used as a treatment for malignant cell growth is controlled by chemical means. He is the founder of chemotherapy Paul Ehrlich German researcher (1854 to 1915th), who used the chemicals in the treatment of infectious diseases (salvarasan in the treatment of syphilis). The first modern chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of tumors was poison nitrogen mustard applied to the 1943rd in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease . In recent decades, more than 50 types of cytotoxic drugs used to treat over 200 different malignant tumors. Normal cells in the body grow, divide, and die under control. The tumor occurs when the body loses that control, and the cells continue to rapidly divide and produce new cells. Cytostatics destroy malignant cells inhibiting their growth and division. These drugs do not act selectively, ie only the malignant cells, but can damage healthy cells in the body, especially those that divide rapidly: blood cells, the lining of the digestive tract, gametes, the hair follicle. That damage to healthy cells causing unwanted side effects of chemotherapy. Damaged cells usually regenerate after cessation of chemotherapy.
Because cancer drugs in different ways stop the cell cycle, in order to better antitumor effect is often at the same time give two or more types of drugs. This is known as polychemotherapy or combined with chemotherapy.