Effects of Targeted Chemotherapy

1136 Words5 Pages
The Methods Behind Targeted Chemotherapy Emily A. Abstract The use of the drug Cisplatin through the method of isolated infusion is the ideal use of targeted chemotherapy. Cisplatin works by molecularly targeting the guanine base in DNA, but if it were given through a general IV it would bond with all cells with guanine bases and not exclusively the cancerous cells. Therefore when the drug is administered through isolated infusion (a form of targeted delivery) it will only affect the ‘isolated’ cancerous area. This method of chemotherapy is controversial because if the procedure is not properly conducted the Cisplatin will spread and healthy organ systems could be destroyed. Yet the benefits outweigh the risks by far because if the procedure is done correctly all the cancerous cells in that isolated area will be eliminated entirely. Keywords: Targeted Chemotherapy, molecular targeting, isolated infusion, Cisplatin, angiogenesis, alkylating antineoplastic agent Chemotherapy is the therapeutic use of chemical compounds for the treatment of cancerous diseases. Normally chemotherapeutic drugs are given intravenously in low dosages over large periods of time, this is called an antineoplastic drug regimen. Antineoplastic drug regiments do work to terminate the quickly dividing tumorous cells, but unfortunately this method also kills normal, healthy cells found in the many soft tissues in the human body and can cause significant damage to healthy organ systems. Instead medical researchers have developed targeted chemotherapy to better treat cancer without damaging healthy sections of the body. These methods include isolated infusion and targeted delivery mechanisms. Because scientists often call these molecules “molecular targets”, targeted cancer therapies are sometimes called molecularly targeted drugs (Avendano, C). Although controversial because of the
Open Document