How does chemotherapy work to treat cancer?

Introduction

Chemotherapy is a cornerstone in the treatment of cancer, aiming to kill or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It is used in various stages of cancer treatment, including as a primary treatment, adjuvant therapy, and in combination with other treatments like surgery and radiotherapy. This synthesis explores how chemotherapy works to treat cancer, drawing on insights from multiple research papers.

Key Insights

Mechanism of Action:
- Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cancer cells, causing cell death by interfering with DNA synthesis and replication .
- Some chemotherapeutic agents induce immunogenic cell death, making cancer cells more visible to the immune system .
Combination and Timing:
- Combination chemotherapy, which uses multiple drugs, has been shown to be more effective in achieving complete remission and curing certain cancers, such as Hodgkin's disease and pediatric solid tumors .
- The timing of chemotherapy, such as perioperative (before and after surgery) and adjuvant (after primary treatment), is crucial for improving survival rates and reducing tumor size .
Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy:
- Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered after the primary treatment to eliminate microscopic disease and improve survival rates, particularly in high-risk patients .
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, given before the primary treatment, can shrink tumors, making them easier to remove surgically and reducing the risk of metastasis.
Drug Resistance:
- Cancer cells can develop resistance to chemotherapy through various mechanisms, including reduced drug accumulation, increased drug export, and enhanced DNA repair.
- Overcoming drug resistance involves understanding these mechanisms and developing strategies to counteract them.
Side Effects and Toxicity:
- Chemotherapy affects not only cancer cells but also normal, rapidly dividing cells, leading to side effects such as neutropenia, gastrointestinal issues, and cardiotoxicity .
- Optimizing drug delivery and scheduling can help minimize these adverse effects while maximizing the therapeutic impact.
Immunotherapy Synergy:
- Chemotherapy can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy by disrupting tumor-induced immunosuppressive mechanisms and promoting immune cell activation .
- Combining chemotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors or cancer vaccines can lead to synergistic effects, improving overall treatment outcomes .

Conclusion

Chemotherapy works by targeting rapidly dividing cancer cells, disrupting their DNA synthesis and replication. Its effectiveness is enhanced when used in combination with other treatments and timed appropriately. While drug resistance and side effects pose significant challenges, ongoing research aims to optimize chemotherapy protocols and explore synergistic combinations with immunotherapy. These strategies collectively improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in treating various cancers.

How does chemotherapy work to treat cancer?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Curative cancer chemotherapy.

Cancer chemotherapy provides curative treatment for 12 cancer categories, with new treatment strategies like neoadjuvant chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation promising further improvements.

Chemotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy after surgery and preoperative chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer (CRITICS): an international, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial.

Preoperative chemotherapy and postoperative chemoradiotherapy both improve survival in patients with resectable gastric cancer, but perioperative chemotherapy may be more effective for certain subtypes.

Optimal delivery of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer

Optimal chemotherapeutic drug administration can minimize tumor size while limiting damage to normal cells, using both cell cycle-specific and non-cell cycle-specific models.

What is cancer chemotherapy?

Cancer chemotherapy is an important treatment modality in oncology, with potential for improvement and development in the near future.

Chemotherapy and tumor immunity: an unexpected collaboration.

Chemotherapy can complement tumor vaccines, unleashing the full potential of the antitumor immune response, overcoming barriers and improving cancer treatment outcomes.

The Interplay of Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy: Harnessing Potential Synergies

Immunotherapy and chemotherapy can synergistically enhance tumor immunity through inducing immunogenic cell death and disrupting tumor evasion strategies.

Immune-based mechanisms of cytotoxic chemotherapy: implications for the design of novel and rationale-based combined treatments against cancer

Cytotoxic chemotherapy relies on off-target effects, including stimulating the immune system, to effectively eradicate cancer, offering potential for more effective combined treatments.

Role of Chemotherapy in Management of Cancers

Chemotherapy effectively treats metastatic and locally advanced cancers, reducing tissue toxicity and enabling more effective local treatment with surgery or radiotherapy.

Molecular mechanisms for tumour resistance to chemotherapy

Cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy through altered drug metabolism, transport, and deregulation of apoptosis and autophagy, with potential reversal through pharmacological and biological approaches.

A history of cancer chemotherapy.

Cancer chemotherapy has evolved from early 20th-century efforts to screen chemicals in rodents to modern targeted treatments, with molecular abnormalities playing a key role in drug discovery and treatment development.

Try another search