Mesothelioma Lawyer
How Chemotherapy Works
Chemotherapy is usually administered as a combination of drugs to provide a variety of attack methods against cancer cells, make others drugs more potent, and avoid the problem of cancer cells becoming resistant to a certain drug. Depending on an assessment from your doctor on how serious your case of mesothelioma is and the chemical properties of the drug involved, the chemotherapy you receive may be administered orally or intravenously.
The Basics
Mesothelioma chemotherapy uses several rounds of chemicals to interfere with the activity of cancer cells either by directly sabotaging a specific phase of cell development or by sending confusing messages that cause the cells to destroy themselves. In the process, unfortunately, some healthy cells die as well. This collateral damage is what causes many of the common side effects, including:
- Exhaustion
- Nausea
- Hair loss
Chemotherapy Drugs and their Purposes
Different groups of drugs act in different ways and may be used in certain stages of mesothelioma chemotherapy. Drugs called alkylating agents interfere with cell division and affect the cancer cells in all phases of their life cycle. They work by confusing the cell DNA and directly reacting with it.
Anti-metabolites are another group of drugs which interfere with cancer cells’ ability for normal metabolic function. They do this by either giving the cells wrong information or blocking the formation of the building-block chemical reaction which the cell needs to replicate itself.
Contact Us
Living with mesothelioma can be difficult for your family and your finances. If you or someone you love is suffering from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure, contact the mesothelioma lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 800-781-3955 today.
