Applying Chemistry to Fighting Cancer

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In 2013, the United States was said to have an estimated 1.6 million cancer patients. The majority of cancer patients turn to chemotherapy in hope to kill off all the spreading cancer cells so they can have a chance to live again. Chemotherapy is defined as the use of any drug to treat any disease, however people most commonly associate chemotherapy with drugs used to treat cancer. Although chemotherapy could be very effective, the rate of success solely depends on the type of cancer the patient has and could potentially be only one or two percent successful. Cancer is a method by which normal cells of the body mutate and develop quickly into abnormal cells. As early as the 1880s, the only method of treatment of cancer was a radical surgery. This same method of treatment continued into the 1980s. Before chemotherapy, people were treated with comfort measures, meaning they were given drugs to help relieve the pain until they died. Also, before the 1950s, if you were admitted into a hospital with a cancer that could not be treated with surgery, it was understood you were there to die. In the beginning of the 20th century, treatment for cancer consisted of removing small cancers and those that were easily removed by surgery. Later on, radiation therapy was used to prevent the growth of those tumors that were not removed during surgery; then, chemotherapy was used to remove even smaller tumors that could not be removed by surgery or treated by radiation. The chemotherapy drug did not start out as a treatment at all. A chemical agent known as mustard gas was used in combat during World War I, and later studied during World War II. It was found to be effective in fighting the cancers of the bone marrow cells. This cancer, known as... ... middle of paper ... ... other treatments, like surgery or radiation, to kill any leftover cells that are still in the body. Chemo can also be used in the form of neoadjuvant therapy to shrink tumors to prepare for other forms of treatment, or in the form of palliative therapy to relieve pain. Today, doctors are using chemotherapy for other diseases besides cancer, such as bone marrow diseases and immune system disorders. In my opinion, chemotherapy will still be used in the future for cancerous diseases. I believe researchers will come to find that other severe diseases, besides bone marrow disease, can also use chemotherapy for treatment. I feel that our society today is known for being strong and not giving up hope, especially when an aggressive diseases attacks. Because of this, more patients will choose to endure chemotherapy treatments in hope for success at the end of the journey.

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