Chemotherapy is treatment for cancer in which drugs are used to eradicate cancer. With chemotherapy, extended life span, better quality life can be achieved by shrinking or removing tumor. However, chemotherapy treatment is associated with some side effects.
Chemotherapy treatment is administered in cycles. Each cycle have rest period which allow patient to recover from side effect that are associated with treatment. No of cycles, duration, drugs, drugs amount given for the chemotherapy treatment is depends on type and stage of your cancer.
Also, the treatment plan has been developed and redefined in term of cycle, drug or doses to get maximum benefits. Such modification in your treatment plan is made only by your doctor. You should not miss any chemotherapy dose during treatment. Chemotherapy treatment is associated with some side effects as drugs used in the treatment also affect other healthy body cell along with cancerous cell. Side effects that are associated with chemotherapy treatment include hair follicles, nausea, sickness, vomiting, blood clotting, fatigue, diminished appetite, digestive tract and many more. Recovery period during treatment allows these healthy cells to recover and repair themselves.
Each time when you visit your doctor, make list of your question. Ask all questions that are in your mind related your cancer, chemotherapy treatment and its possible side effects. Note down the points on paper. If you don?t understand some point, ask your doctor to repeat it. When you visit your doctor, you should always accompany with your close friend or family member.
Chemotherapy drugs targets rapidly growing cancerous cell and damage them so that they can not grow or spread. Mostly chemotherapy treatment is applied at clinic or hospitals? out patient department. Sometimes chemotherapy treatment is also carried out at home or office. It depends on type of drug, your insurance, your and doctor?s wish. Mostly, it is carried out at hospital OPD so that treatment can be monitored easily.
Chemotherapy drugs are administered through vein, injection, orally or applied on skin. Mostly chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously through a vein. It can also be administered through catheters, ports and pumps. Some chemotherapy drugs are in the form of pill, capsule or liquid form which can be taken orally. Another way of application of chemotherapy dug is through injection. In this method, drugs are administered using needle or syringe in different ways. Some drugs are applied directly on the surface of skin.
Some medicine or drugs other than chemotherapy drugs if taken during treatment may interfere with chemotherapy drug to affect effect of treatment. You should consult with doctor before taking any such type of medicine such as vitamins, laxatives and other pain relievers. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor about test result and your response to chemotherapy treatment.
Chemotherapy - is This the Real Answer to Cancer?
Before agreeing to a treatment, it is important to know what the treatment consist of. With this in mind, I have introduced below the main form of treatment used to treat cancer:
Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy was developed after scientists realised that the deadly Mustard gas used in the Second World War to kill people - Cyclophosphamide - could kill rapidly dividing cells such as those of cancer. Chemotherapy will kill all rapidly dividing cells (Our T and B cells responsible for our immune system would also be targeted as they divide rapidly).
Let's see what reputable scientists are saying about this drug:
* Late Dr Hardin Jones, professor at the University of California in Berkeley concluded in 1975 after analysing cancer survival statistics for several decades that "patients are as well, or better off, untreated".
* Dr Charles Moertel of the Mayo clinic in Baltimore said that the major chemotherapeutic drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) only produces an objective response in 15 to 20% of patients. Even then, improvements were only partial and temporary. This very poor result is offset by the toxicity of the drug and the disastrous emotional upsets caused by the side effects.
* A German epidemiologist Dr Ulrich Abel studied most of the published reports on chemotherapy and wrote to a further 350 cancer centres and experts and stated that "the success of most chemotherapy is appalling. There is no evidence for its ability to extend in any appreciable way the lives of patients suffering from the most common organic cancer". Often, patients who do not respond to chemotherapy survive longer than those who do".
Dr Abel also published details of survival rates for cancer patients treated with chemotherapy as follows:
* Bladder - No statistics available
* Breast - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Cervical/Uterine - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Colorectal - No increase in life expectancy
* Gastric cancer - No evidence of improvement
* Head & neck - No improvement in life expectancy (tumours may shrink)
* Ovarian - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Pancreatic - More negative than patients who were not treated
Depending on which specific chemotherapy drug is used, side effects include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, potential damage to nerves and kidneys, hearing loss, seizures, bone marrow suppression, anaemia, blindness, irreversible loss of motor function, thrombosis, mucositis, heart problems, destruction of bile ducts, bone tissue death, restricted growth, infertility, lower white and red cell count, increased risk of leukaemia (specially for women who received chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer), ovarian failure, early menopause, lactose malabsorption etc..
Chemotherapy also often destroys the patient's liver and kidneys with its harmful effects and negatively assaults their immune system. Mechlorethamine, one of the drugs used is so toxic that medical staff handling it are advised to use gloves and avoid inhaling it.
A reference for medical personnel handling chemotherapy advises:
The potential risks involved in handling cytotoxic agents have become a concern for health care workers.
The literature reports various symptoms
Many chemotherapy agents, the alkylating agents in particular, are known to be carcinogenic [cancer causing] in therapeutic doses.
Medical personnel handling these drugs are advised to wear double latex gloves, mask, goggles and protective gown. Amazingly, needles used for injecting the lethal drug is classified as "hazardous waste" ! Incredible when we are told that this drug will cure our Cancer.
The medical journal (Lancet 1998) stated that Irinotecan, a new chemotherapy drug only extends survival by about 3 months but with many side effects.
Chemotherapy is also useless at helping with metastases in the liver (Arch Med Res, 1998). It has however been shown to increase the life of patients suffering from ovarian cancers by a few years and that of lung cancer patients by a few months.
Treatment of Hodgkin's disease with chemotherapy has also shown positive results. However, girls treated this way also have a 35% chance of developing breast cancer in later life. All children treated this way also are 18 times more likely to develop secondary tumours.
As Chemotherapy has been found to be (1) carcinogenic (2) immunosuppressant (3) toxic (4) futile, why is it then that doctors keep prescribing it?
Although most know that chemotherapy only has a very small chance of success, they feel that unless they prescribe something, the patient will go elsewhere and, in most cases (for allopathic medicine), be prescribed chemotherapy. In a survey of 79 cancer doctors conducted by McGill University in the United States, 58 doctors stated that they would not be part of trials on Chemotherapy drugs. Why? Because of the ineffectiveness of Chemotherapy and its toxicity.
Chemotherapy treatment is administered in cycles. Each cycle have rest period which allow patient to recover from side effect that are associated with treatment. No of cycles, duration, drugs, drugs amount given for the chemotherapy treatment is depends on type and stage of your cancer.
Also, the treatment plan has been developed and redefined in term of cycle, drug or doses to get maximum benefits. Such modification in your treatment plan is made only by your doctor. You should not miss any chemotherapy dose during treatment. Chemotherapy treatment is associated with some side effects as drugs used in the treatment also affect other healthy body cell along with cancerous cell. Side effects that are associated with chemotherapy treatment include hair follicles, nausea, sickness, vomiting, blood clotting, fatigue, diminished appetite, digestive tract and many more. Recovery period during treatment allows these healthy cells to recover and repair themselves.
Each time when you visit your doctor, make list of your question. Ask all questions that are in your mind related your cancer, chemotherapy treatment and its possible side effects. Note down the points on paper. If you don?t understand some point, ask your doctor to repeat it. When you visit your doctor, you should always accompany with your close friend or family member.
Chemotherapy drugs targets rapidly growing cancerous cell and damage them so that they can not grow or spread. Mostly chemotherapy treatment is applied at clinic or hospitals? out patient department. Sometimes chemotherapy treatment is also carried out at home or office. It depends on type of drug, your insurance, your and doctor?s wish. Mostly, it is carried out at hospital OPD so that treatment can be monitored easily.
Chemotherapy drugs are administered through vein, injection, orally or applied on skin. Mostly chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously through a vein. It can also be administered through catheters, ports and pumps. Some chemotherapy drugs are in the form of pill, capsule or liquid form which can be taken orally. Another way of application of chemotherapy dug is through injection. In this method, drugs are administered using needle or syringe in different ways. Some drugs are applied directly on the surface of skin.
Some medicine or drugs other than chemotherapy drugs if taken during treatment may interfere with chemotherapy drug to affect effect of treatment. You should consult with doctor before taking any such type of medicine such as vitamins, laxatives and other pain relievers. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor about test result and your response to chemotherapy treatment.
Chemotherapy - is This the Real Answer to Cancer?
Before agreeing to a treatment, it is important to know what the treatment consist of. With this in mind, I have introduced below the main form of treatment used to treat cancer:
Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy was developed after scientists realised that the deadly Mustard gas used in the Second World War to kill people - Cyclophosphamide - could kill rapidly dividing cells such as those of cancer. Chemotherapy will kill all rapidly dividing cells (Our T and B cells responsible for our immune system would also be targeted as they divide rapidly).
Let's see what reputable scientists are saying about this drug:
* Late Dr Hardin Jones, professor at the University of California in Berkeley concluded in 1975 after analysing cancer survival statistics for several decades that "patients are as well, or better off, untreated".
* Dr Charles Moertel of the Mayo clinic in Baltimore said that the major chemotherapeutic drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) only produces an objective response in 15 to 20% of patients. Even then, improvements were only partial and temporary. This very poor result is offset by the toxicity of the drug and the disastrous emotional upsets caused by the side effects.
* A German epidemiologist Dr Ulrich Abel studied most of the published reports on chemotherapy and wrote to a further 350 cancer centres and experts and stated that "the success of most chemotherapy is appalling. There is no evidence for its ability to extend in any appreciable way the lives of patients suffering from the most common organic cancer". Often, patients who do not respond to chemotherapy survive longer than those who do".
Dr Abel also published details of survival rates for cancer patients treated with chemotherapy as follows:
* Bladder - No statistics available
* Breast - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Cervical/Uterine - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Colorectal - No increase in life expectancy
* Gastric cancer - No evidence of improvement
* Head & neck - No improvement in life expectancy (tumours may shrink)
* Ovarian - No evidence of an increase in life expectancy
* Pancreatic - More negative than patients who were not treated
Depending on which specific chemotherapy drug is used, side effects include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, potential damage to nerves and kidneys, hearing loss, seizures, bone marrow suppression, anaemia, blindness, irreversible loss of motor function, thrombosis, mucositis, heart problems, destruction of bile ducts, bone tissue death, restricted growth, infertility, lower white and red cell count, increased risk of leukaemia (specially for women who received chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer), ovarian failure, early menopause, lactose malabsorption etc..
Chemotherapy also often destroys the patient's liver and kidneys with its harmful effects and negatively assaults their immune system. Mechlorethamine, one of the drugs used is so toxic that medical staff handling it are advised to use gloves and avoid inhaling it.
A reference for medical personnel handling chemotherapy advises:
The potential risks involved in handling cytotoxic agents have become a concern for health care workers.
The literature reports various symptoms
Many chemotherapy agents, the alkylating agents in particular, are known to be carcinogenic [cancer causing] in therapeutic doses.
Medical personnel handling these drugs are advised to wear double latex gloves, mask, goggles and protective gown. Amazingly, needles used for injecting the lethal drug is classified as "hazardous waste" ! Incredible when we are told that this drug will cure our Cancer.
The medical journal (Lancet 1998) stated that Irinotecan, a new chemotherapy drug only extends survival by about 3 months but with many side effects.
Chemotherapy is also useless at helping with metastases in the liver (Arch Med Res, 1998). It has however been shown to increase the life of patients suffering from ovarian cancers by a few years and that of lung cancer patients by a few months.
Treatment of Hodgkin's disease with chemotherapy has also shown positive results. However, girls treated this way also have a 35% chance of developing breast cancer in later life. All children treated this way also are 18 times more likely to develop secondary tumours.
As Chemotherapy has been found to be (1) carcinogenic (2) immunosuppressant (3) toxic (4) futile, why is it then that doctors keep prescribing it?
Although most know that chemotherapy only has a very small chance of success, they feel that unless they prescribe something, the patient will go elsewhere and, in most cases (for allopathic medicine), be prescribed chemotherapy. In a survey of 79 cancer doctors conducted by McGill University in the United States, 58 doctors stated that they would not be part of trials on Chemotherapy drugs. Why? Because of the ineffectiveness of Chemotherapy and its toxicity.
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