Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses chemical substances to destroy cancer cells in the body. These drugs are called ‘cytotoxic’, which means that they are toxic to the body’s cells. Chemotherapy is sometimes used to treat other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and has side effects like loss of hair and nails, nausea and a weakened immune system.
The term ‘chemotherapy’ was first coined by Nobel Laureate Paul Ehrlich in the early 1900s and means the use of chemicals to treat diseases (chemo+therapy).
The story of chemotherapy began during World War I and II, when mustard gas was used as an agent during chemical warfare. It was discovered during a military operation that a group of people who were accidentally exposed to mustard gas showed very low white blood cell counts.
It was reasoned that an agent that could damage rapidly growing white blood cells, may have a similar effect on cancer cells which also grow rapidly.
Consequently in the 1940s, several patients with advanced cancers of certain white blood cells were administered the drug. The improvement was remarkable. This experience led researchers to look for other substances that might have similar effects against cancer. As a result, many other drugs have been developed and today chemotherapy is the first choice for treating many cancers.
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