Chemotherapy: Most Effective Dietary Supplements

Chemotherapy is a medical treatment primarily used to fight cancer. It uses antineoplastic (anticancer) drugs to destroy or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The goal can be curative, aiming to fully eradicate the disease, or palliative, aiming to reduce symptoms and extend the patient's life. Chemotherapy can be administered alone or in conjunction with other treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy.

Types of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can be classified into different categories based on the drugs used and their mechanism of action. 1) Cytotoxic Agents • Anticancer Alkaloids: Mitotic Inhibitors (e.g. vincristine, paclitaxel). • Alkylating Agents: Alter DNA (e.g. cyclophosphamide, cisplatin). • Intercalating Agents: Insert into DNA (e.g. doxorubicin). • Splitting Agents: Fragment DNA (e.g. bleomycin). • Antimetabolites: Interfere with DNA synthesis (e.g. methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil). 2) Modulating Agents • Hormonal Agents: Used for hormone-dependent cancers (e.g. tamoxifen for breast cancer). • Kinase Inhibitors: Block cell growth signals (e.g. imatinib). 3) Monoclonal Antibodies: Specifically target antigens on cancer cells (e.g. rituximab, trastuzumab). 4) Immunomodulators: Modulate the immune response to fight cancer (e.g. thalidomide, lenalidomide).

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

The side effects of chemotherapy are numerous and varied depending on the drugs used: • Skin and Mucous Toxicity: Alopecia (hair loss), hypersensitivity. • Digestive Toxicity: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. • Hematological Toxicity: Anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia. • Hepatic Toxicity: Monitoring of transaminases. • Nephrotic Toxicity: Nephrotoxicity, monitoring of renal function.

Mechanism of Action

Chemotherapy drugs primarily act by targeting rapidly dividing cells, a characteristic of cancer cells: • Mitotic Inhibition: Periwinkle alkaloids, like vincristine, bind to microtubules, preventing cell division. • DNA Alkylation: Alkylating agents add alkyl groups to DNA, preventing cell replication. • DNA Intercalation: Anthracyclines, like doxorubicin, intercalate into DNA strands, blocking replication. • DNA Fragmentation: Bleomycin induces the formation of free radicals that fragment DNA. • Inhibition of DNA Synthesis: Antimetabolites, like methotrexate, inhibit enzymes necessary for the synthesis of DNA bases.