Chemotherapy
is the best known and most widely used medical treatment for
most cancers including breast cancer, lung cancer, prostrate
cancer, colon cancer and cancers of the skin. In chemotherapy,
your doctor or hospital will prescribe either a certain drug
or more often, two or more specific drugs – referred to
as ‘combination chemotherapy’ – to battle
the cancer cells in your body by destroying the diseased cells
before they can multiply. These prescription drugs may work
against your body’s hormones to fight the cancer, or they
may work with your own immune system in ‘biological therapy’
to treat the disease. Either way, the intention of any cancer
drug in chemotherapy is to hopefully cure the cancer, or making
the body free of any cancer-related cells, or at the very least
control cancer by slowing and destroying diseased cells before
they spread to other bodily organs.
Unfortunately, your healthy body cells can be affected by
chemotherapy
too, causing side effects. Remember to talk to your physician,
a nurse, or someone you love about how your health and how you
are feeling day to day. Rest your body, pace your daily activities,
check out some funny comic to make yourself laugh, and remove
yourself from situations where colds or the flu may be present
– just remember to be mindful of your health and be good
to yourself.
Some people confuse
chemotherapy with radiation therapy. Radiation
is a method using powerful energy from gamma rays, neutrons
or x-rays to destroy cancer and shrink tumors. It can come in
the form of an external beam pointed at the body from a machine,
or in the case of internal or implant therapy radioactive material
is placed within the body to attack cancer cells. Each is distinct,
but chemotherapy and radiation are often used in conjunction
in a hospital or cancer treatment center to shrink cancerous
or malignant tumors caused by breast cancer, lung cancer or
other forms of the disease in your body, and usually the combined
treatments offer more effective results.
Chemotherapy coverage limits should be specifically outlined
in your health care plan or health insurance guide, so you know
what coverage to expect in the event of cancerous illness. |
