Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer for several reasons, as it is a powerful and effective treatment option for many types of cancer.
The main reasons why chemotherapy is employed in cancer treatment:
Systemic Treatment:
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, which means it can travel throughout the body via the bloodstream. This is important because cancer can often spread to different parts of the body, and chemotherapy can target cancer cells wherever they may be.
Shrink Tumors:
Chemotherapy is effective at shrinking tumors. It works by interfering with the ability of cancer cells to grow and divide. This can make the tumor smaller, which may allow for surgical removal, or it can alleviate symptoms caused by the tumor's growth.
Kill or Control Cancer Cells:
Chemotherapy drugs can kill cancer cells directly or slow down their growth. This is especially useful for cancers that are fast-growing or have a high risk of spreading to other parts of the body.