Chemotherapy drugs are administered to a cancer patient by either administering the drugs through the patient’s veins or as oral medications. The period of chemotherapy treatment vary from patient to patient with some patients requiring daily dosages while others may require weekly or monthly dosages. The procedure follows a cyclic pattern with dosages followed by intermittent recovery periods. The recovery periods help the patient’s body to produce new healthy cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be given as a single drug in a chemotherapy procedure or in combination with another drug in a combination chemotherapy regimen.
There are many types of chemotherapy drugs and prescription of the drugs depends upon the type of cancer to be treated. Generally, chemotherapy drugs are classified into five main categories. They are Alkylating agents, Antimetabolites, Anti-tumor antibiotics, Mitotic inhibitors, and Nitrosoureas. Alkylating agents work by blocking DNA replication thereby stopping the growth of cancer cells. Antimetabolites work by starving the cancer cells of the enzymes they need for their growth. Anti-tumor antibiotics work by changing the cell membranes along with blocking certain enzymes. Mitotic inhibitors stop cancer cell division and also attack certain cancer feeding enzymes. Nitrosoureas work by interfering with the DNA repairing enzymes. Chemotherapy drugs have been given to millions of cancer affected people to cure or control the deadly disease and alleviating their pain and suffering.