How to Learn About the History of Chemotherapy

At first, the idea of using chemotherapy to treat cancer might seem counterintuitive. The concept of putting what is, essentially, poison into the body to destroy a disease is a radical idea, as the cytotoxic combination of drugs has the potential to destroy healthy cells. However, the process has worked for a number of cancer patients, earning chemotherapy its reputation as one of the most effective cancer treatments available.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

1. Visit the American Cancer Society's Web page on chemotherapy (see Resources below). Here, you can read about chemotherapy's beginnings, how chemotherapy is administered, bodily changes that occur due to chemotherapy treatments and chemotherapy's side effects.
2. Read the article titled "Cancer Chemotherapy: A Chemical Needle in a Haystack," posted on the Chemical Heritage Foundation's Web page (see Resources below). The article is from "Pharmaceutical Achievers," a teachers' reference book sponsored by major American drug companies, but the information in the article is useful and interesting, if slightly biased.
3. Get in touch with an accredited medical school that specializes in cancer treatment and ask to sit in on a lecture about chemotherapy. Search a database of medical schools through the Association of American Medical Colleges (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are about to undergo chemotherapy, ask your doctor what the chances are that healthy cells will be damaged or destroyed along with the cancerous ones. Although peripheral damage occurs more frequently with radiation therapy than chemotherapy, the possibility of repercussions still exists depending on your treatment.
• If you are a candidate for chemotherapy, you have the right to know about possible complications and alternative treatments so you and your oncologist can make informed decisions about your treatment.
• Ask to sit in on a meeting of a cancer survivor group to learn more about chemotherapy's history, as well as its effect on day-to-day life.

Who Can Help:

• Find Computer, Electrical and Telephone Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.
• Find Electrical Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.