Chemotherapy Essay Example

Chemotherapy is one of the most useful methods of treating cancer in the modern day. The use of chemotherapy has been one of the most effective ways of prolonging the lives of cancer patients. In other circumstances, chemotherapy has helped to make a complete cure for cancer. Unlike surgery, when cancer is cured using chemotherapy, there are fewer chances of its recurrence. Despite the advantages of chemotherapy in curing cancer, many people still object its use on various grounds. Like other cancer treatment methods, chemotherapy does not guarantee the elimination of cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy has many side effects to the body of a human being that increase the suffering during its administration. In some cases, chemotherapy has to be combined with other modes of treatment to cure cancer. Opponents of the use of chemotherapy have used some of these disadvantages to oppose its use. Despite its many effects on the bodies of the patients, chemotherapy has provided hope for many cancer patients and given them a way of regaining their health.

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One of the most common reasons people oppose the use of chemotherapy is that it does not provide an assurance of a cure for cancer. Many people feel that it is unnecessary to make a person go through so much pain and end up dying of cancer. Chemotherapy is one of the curative procedures that affect different patients differently. It does not cure all patients who go through the process. Despite the fact that it does not earnest a cure for cancer, it has helped heal millions of people around the world. Chemotherapy has showed a higher rate of success compared to surgery and radiation in curing cancer (Chabner, 2006). Cancer is a terminal disease that kills many people in the world today. If a person suffers cancer, he is doomed to die unless he is cured of the disease. Despite the fact that chemotherapy does not guarantee a cure, it offers an opportunity to fight the disease. For many people, it is better to die while fighting the disease than to let the disease take control of the body and eventually kill the person. Chemotherapy offers a person an opportunity to fight back and resist cancer.

Another reason chemotherapy faces a lot of opposition is its numerous side effects. Chemotherapy has numerous side effects that affect the body of a sick person. It has caused other complications that have led to great physical and emotional pain to the victims. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, nausea, organ damage and anemia among many others. Chemotherapy has caused more harm than good in some cases. However, different patients react differently to chemotherapy. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the possible side effects of the procedure before engaging in it (Chu, 2012). In most cases, it pays to endure the side effects of chemotherapy when one is cured of cancer.

In some cases, chemotherapy does not work on its own. Doctors have to combine chemotherapy with other modes of treatment such as surgery and radiation. Many opponents of the use of chemotherapy argue that it is not a good method because it has to be used with other modes of treatment. However, chemotherapy helps increase the efficiency of other modes of treatment to ensure that cancer is completely cured and does not reoccur (Priestman, 2007). In those cases where chemotherapy cannot work on its own, it is important to combine it with other modes of treatment to ensure it cures the disease completely.

Cancer is one of the ailments that troubles most people in the world today. Researchers have indulged in various ventures to find a perfect cure for cancer. Chemotherapy involves a lot of pain for the victims but offers better chances of eliminating cancer for the patients. With continuous development, Chemotherapy will help eliminate cancer from the planet.

References

Chabner, B., & Longo, D. L. (2006). Cancer chemotherapy and biotherapy: Principles and practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Chu, E., & DeVita, V. T. (2012). Physicians' cancer chemotherapy drug manual 2012. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Priestman, T. J. (2007). Cancer chemotherapy in clinical practice. New York: Springer.