Novel Approaches in Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a form of chemical drug therapy that is used to destroy rapidly growing cells of a body. It is a systemic therapy as it affects the whole body. It is primarily used in the treatment of cancer. However, it can also be used in the treatment of immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. It lowers the number of cancer cells in the body, reduces metastasis, shrinks the tumor and reduces symptoms. When cancer is at an advanced stage, chemotherapy is used to relieve pain and symptoms. It can be delivered directly into the tumor to a specific part of the body through localized treatment, or administered orally, topically or in single shots. Due to its systemic nature, chemotherapy drugs target the cells in the blood, lining of the intestinal tract, the skin and the hair as well as where fast growing cells reside. This leads to side effects such as diarrhea, fatigue, mouth sores, easy bruising and bleeding, dry mouth, neuropathy, infections, memory problems, etc. Though many of these symptoms subside after conclusion of the treatment, damage to internal organs may also be incurred. This book elucidates new techniques and applications of chemotherapy in a multidisciplinary manner. It includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to chemotherapy and oncological medicine. As this field is emerging at a rapid pace, the contents of this book will help the readers understand the modern concepts and applications of the subject.