How Does Chemotherapy Treat Cancer

Cancer treatment depends on the type of cancer, how much it has spread, age, health status, and additional personal characteristics. There is no single treatment for cancer, and patients often receive a combination of therapies and palliative care. Treatments usually fall into: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or gene therapy. Chemotherapy utilizes chemicals that interfere with the process called cell division. They are damaging proteins or DNA. So the cancer cells commit suicide.
These treatments target any rapidly dividing cells, but normal cells usually can recover from any chemical-caused damage while cancer cells cannot. Chemotherapy is generally used to treat cancer that has spread because the medicines travel throughout the entire body. It is a necessary treatment for some forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Chemotherapy treatment occurs in cycles so the body has time to heal between doses. However, there are still common side effects such as hair loss, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. Combination therapies often include multiple types of chemotherapy or chemotherapy combined with other treatment options.