Just Get Me Through This! - Revised and Updated by Deborah A. Cohen & M.D. Gelfand & Robert M

Author:Deborah A. Cohen & M.D. Gelfand & Robert M. [Cohen, Deborah A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2011-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chemotherapy: A PacMan Game Going On inside Your Body.

So now we know that the theory behind chemotherapy is systemic—that it destroys any lingering cancer cells in your body. So, now how does it work? Think of the chemo “agent” as those little creatures in that PacMan game that gobble up anything in their path and sweep them away. Chemotherapy agents are chemicals that interfere with the replication of rapidly dividing cells at different stages of cell growth. Administering a series of treatments of the same or a different drug over time ensures the chemo gets all cancer cells as they enter different phases of their growth cycle.

So, the chemo PacMan is programmed to look for fast-growing cells in your body. That’s fine, except there’s one slight problem here. The chemo PacMan is rather indiscriminate, and not only does he gobble up any remaining cancer cells, but he snatches other fast-growing cells in your body: hair follicles, gastrointestinal lining, blood-forming cells, skin cells, and ovaries. Note that the destruction, or “toxicity,” to these cells accounts for the most common side effects of chemotherapy that you hear and read about:

• Hair—possible thinning or loss, not only on your head, but all over your body.

• Gastrointestinal lining—appetite changes, nausea, irregular digestion, mouth sores, dry throat, etc.

• Red and white blood cells and platelets (all produced by the bone marrow)—greater susceptibility to infection and disease, hence the terms immunosuppressed and immune-compromised, as well as anemia and bleeding tendencies.

• Skin—dryness, sun sensitivity, pigment changes.

• Ovaries—menopausal-like symptoms, either temporary or permanent.

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