Chemotherapy drugs are pretty numerous and they fall into various categories following such criteria as the way they work, the relationship they establish with other drugs and the chemical structure they have. Most drugs are based on chemicals obtained from plants and this very origin or source leaves room to further classification. Don’t be surprised to find a drug classified in more categories, because there are many such cases in the medical world. Medical science and professional competence in the health care realm involves a good knowledge of chemotherapy drugs and their specificity.
Alkylating agents is a first class of chemotherapy drugs worth mentioning. These drugs are pretty damaging to the bone marrow because they damage the DNA to stop the reproduction of the cancerous cells. Lots of cancer cases get treated with this kind of chemotherapy drugs, with the mention that doses are always kept low because of the risk to develop leukemia up to ten years after the cessation of the treatment. Platinum based medication is classified together with alkylating agents because of the similarity in their action.
Antimetabolites are another distinct class of chemotherapy drugs. They are used in treating leukemia, breast tumors, ovary and intestinal cancers and they also interfere not only with the DNA but also with the RNA.
The anthracyclines are another type of chemotherapy drugs being part of the antibiotic group. They work against enzymes that contribute to the DNA replication which is why they prove efficient in a large number of cancer cases.
Next is the category of inhibitors. The topoisomerase inhibitors help in separating and copying strands of DNA being helpful for the treatment of leukemia besides many other types of cancer. The mitotic inhibitors are more natural-based derived from plants and they help in preventing enzymes from producing proteins required in cell reproduction. Even so, cancer patients undergo a huge risk with any chemical treatment they follow: these chemotherapy drugs could cause peripheral nerve damage to mention only one of the health threats you may fear.
Last but not least, the corticosteroids are chemotherapy drugs derived from hormones and meant to treat myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia besides other diseases. In addition to reducing the speed of cell growth, they also have a positive impact on the body’s response to chemotherapy by reducing the possibility of developing allergic reactions or digestive side effects such as vomiting and nausea. Such medication doesn’t have to serve for cancer chemotherapy purposes exclusively, as there are other diseases that can be fought with it.
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