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Does chemotherapy cause more harm than good?
Giving chemotherapy to end-stage cancer patients near death was associated with worse quality of life among those who could still perform many daily life functions. The results also found that chemotherapy had no effect on the quality of life on less-functional patients close to death.
Can chemo be harmful?
Chemotherapy drugs are considered to be hazardous to people who handle them or come into contact with them. For patients, this means the drugs are strong enough to damage or kill cancer cells. But this also means the drugs can be a concern for others who might be exposed to them.
Why you should not do chemotherapy?
What are the risks of chemotherapy? While chemotherapy may kill rapidly growing cancer cells, the downside is that it may also damage healthy cells in the process. This is often the cause of some common side effects of chemotherapy.
What is the major disadvantage of chemotherapy?
The disadvantages of chemotherapy are the toxic side effects, the development of resistance to the chemical agents, and the need for other forms of treatment, in combination with chemotherapy, in order to cure the patient.
Does Chemo do any good?
Chemotherapy can be used to shrink a tumor so that other treatments, such as radiation and surgery, are possible. Doctors call this neoadjuvant therapy. To ease signs and symptoms. Chemotherapy may help relieve signs and symptoms of cancer by killing some of the cancer cells.
Does Chemo shorten life expectancy?
During the 3 decades, the proportion of survivors treated with chemotherapy alone increased from 18\% in 1970-1979 to 54\% in 1990-1999, and the life expectancy gap in this chemotherapy-alone group decreased from 11.0 years (95\% UI, 9.0-13.1 years) to 6.0 years (95\% UI, 4.5-7.6 years).
Is chemotherapy a success?
Chemotherapy is a powerful treatment that involves taking medications to damage cancerous cells. The goal is to prevent these cells from dividing and multiplying….Testicular cancer.
| Nonseminomatous tumor stage | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surgery, chemo, and RPLND | 9\% | 18\% |
| Chemo and/or radiotherapy without surgery | less than 1\% | 8\% |
| Total | approx. 45\% | 93\% |
Do you ever fully recover from chemotherapy?
Some side effects of chemotherapy only happen while you’re having treatment and disappear quickly after it’s over. But others can linger for months or years or may never completely go away.
Is chemotherapy a good thing?
Chemotherapy may shrink your cancer or slow down its growth, which may help you live longer and help with your symptoms. For a small number of people with borderline resectable cancer, chemotherapy may shrink the cancer enough to make surgery to remove the cancer possible.
What is the life expectancy after chemotherapy?
During the 3 decades, the proportion of survivors treated with chemotherapy alone increased (from 18\% in 1970-1979 to 54\% in 1990-1999), and the life expectancy gap in this chemotherapy-alone group decreased from 11.0 years (95\% UI, 9.0-13.1 years) to 6.0 years (95\% UI, 4.5-7.6 years).
Is chemo painful?
Why it happens: Chemotherapy may cause painful side effects like burning, numbness and tingling or shooting pains in your hands and feet, as well as mouth sores, headaches, muscle and stomach pain. Pain can be caused by the cancer itself or by the chemo.
Is chemotherapy really worth it?
Suffering through cancer chemotherapy is worth it — when it helps patients live longer. But many patients end up with no real benefit from enduring chemo after surgical removal of a tumor. Going in, it’s been hard to predict how much chemo will help prevent tumor recurrence or improve survival chances.
When does chemotherapy do more harm than good?
Giving chemotherapy to cancer patients nearing the end of life can do more harm than good, a study has found. The new research shows gruelling treatments given to people with life-threatening illnesses has no clinical benefit. Instead, it can actually lead to a worse quality of life, with patients unable to perform many day-to-day functions.
What are the dangers of chemotherapy?
Chemo may damage your kidneys, liver, heart, or other organs. You may have an allergic reaction to chemo. This may become life-threatening. Your risk for infection and bleeding are increased during chemo treatment. You may have problems getting pregnant or getting your partner pregnant after you have chemo.
How does chemotherapy kill patients?
Kill cancer cells that have returned or spread to other parts of your body. Chemotherapy not only kills fast-growing cancer cells, but also kills or slows the growth of healthy cells that grow and divide quickly. Examples are cells that line your mouth and intestines and those that cause your hair to grow.
How can we tell if chemotherapy is working?
They are all right the CEA and scans if they read them right can indicate if the chemo is working on what they can detect. My advise don’t get caught up in the numbers and scans. Generally they work and suggest to the ONC what is working for your situation and in that their value may exist.