What Is Cytotoxic Chemotherapy?

A woman receives medication via an IV drip.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy is cancer treatment that kills cells, specifically cancer cells. Cytotoxic drugs prevent cancer cells from dividing, multiplying and spreading throughout the body. The term "cytotoxic chemotherapy" is a general term to encompass all anti-cancer drug treatments.

Function

Chemotherapy drugs keep dangerous cancer cells from dividing, thus preventing the cancer from spreading. The treatment causes extreme sickness in almost all patients and requires several doses. Some types of chemotherapy are not as extreme. Rather than killing cells, they stimulate the immune system or affect natural bodily processes.

Delivery

Cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs can be administered either intravenously or through injection at the tumor site. Some drugs can be given orally. Physicians must be careful with the dosage, as cytotoxic agents are lethal in large amounts.

Advantages

Cytotoxic chemotherapy works well for aggressive cancers because it halts the growth of cancer cells. This is in contrast to tumor removal or other types of chemotherapy that do not kill cancer cells. Some patients achieve remission in a few doses, and treatment can be given in inpatient or outpatient procedures, depending on the patient's health.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of cytotoxic chemotherapy include extreme nausea, illness, hair loss, organ damage, infections and sometimes death. Cytotoxic agents are toxic to all human cells, not just cancer cells. The drugs are also expensive.

Outlook

Cytotoxic chemotherapy will be useful for many years to come, as it is so effective against fighting cancer. Researchers are working on methods to deliver cytotoxic drugs directly into cancerous cells without harming healthy cells.

References

• Mayo Clinic
• Natural Health Web
• American Society of Clinical Oncology