What is chemotherapy? The main purpose of chemotherapy is to treat the whole body, and the surgical treatment is only local resection. After entering the blood, chemotherapy drugs will come to all parts of the body with the blood, which will play a therapeutic role in tumor lesions that have metastasized to other parts, and play a preventive role in non-metastatic parts to prevent tumor recurrence.
Chemotherapy is short for chemotherapy. Using chemical drugs to kill tumor cells in the whole body can effectively reduce the metastasis and recurrence of tumors, prolong the survival time of patients and improve their quality of life. Tumor cells are our own cells, just some abnormal growth cells. Chemical drugs are very destructive to tumor cells and normal cells, so chemical drugs will cause some harm to the body. Although chemotherapy drugs have certain harm to the body, chemotherapy is still one of the main means of clinical treatment of malignant tumors.
What harm does chemotherapy do to the body?
Chemotherapy is the use of chemical drugs to kill tumor cells, but it will also have a certain lethality to its normal cells. Chemotherapy can treat primary and metastatic lesions by inhibiting the growth and reproduction of tumor cells and promoting the differentiation of tumor cells. Common side effects include gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea and vomiting, and also have certain effects on hematopoietic system and liver.
1, influence on digestive system
Most chemotherapy drugs can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and other symptoms, damaging the digestive system of patients. Antiemetic drugs are commonly used in clinic to relieve nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.
2. Influence on hematopoietic system
Many chemotherapy drugs inhibit bone marrow hematopoiesis, resulting in the decrease of white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells, and patients will have symptoms such as fever and anemia. Patients with leukopenia may be infected. Thrombocytopenia will affect blood coagulation, and there will be nosebleeds and bleeding gums. When red blood cells decrease, symptoms such as fatigue and anemia will appear.
3. Effect on liver and kidney function
Most of the damage of chemotherapy drugs to liver and kidney is reversible, and it can recover itself after stopping the drug.
Different chemotherapeutic drugs have different toxicity to organs, some may have alopecia symptoms, and some may also have certain effects on ovarian and testicular functions.
Although chemotherapy drugs have a great influence on the body, chemotherapy is still one of the important means of tumor treatment. You can choose some symptomatic treatments and actively cooperate with doctors to adhere to chemotherapy. We should also maintain an optimistic attitude, a good mood, develop scientific work and rest rules, healthy eating habits and firm confidence. Only in this way can we effectively prolong the survival time and quality of life and help to overcome tumors.