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Negatives Of Chemotherapy

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Cancer is one of the most destructive illnesses worldwide, affecting almost ⅓ of all people. Thankfully, treatments, like chemotherapy, have been developed to combat and reduce the prevalence of this life threatening illness. Chemotherapy is the use of combined drugs to eliminate the aggressive growth of cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can be used numerous ways, all working towards stopping the growth of cancer cells. However, what is not accounted for are the societal factors resulting from cancer and its treatment. Specifically, the societal economic ramifications of chemotherapy treatment.

As described, chemotherapy aims to prevent or slow the growth of cancerous cells. The complex function of chemotherapy is directly related to cell division, or mitosis. To begin, the body’s immune …show more content…

For example, chemotherapy have a wide range of side effects, both long-term and short-term. For example, fatigue is one of the most common side effects as it is a result of low blood counts. Other side effects include: in appetite, sleep deprivation, and stress. More negative short term side effects can include: nausea, pain, hair loss, anemia, and infections. All these short term drawbacks of chemotherapy are caused by the results of the chemotherapy drugs, hospital stays, and overall stress. Chemotherapy can also cause some serious long term side effects on the patient both mentally and physically. For example, chemotherapy can cause fertility problems in both women and men. Additionally, chemotherapy can permanently affect the memory of patients. Chemotherapy drugs affect a patient’s clear thinking. This is called “chemo-brain” or “chemo fog.” This is generally caused by a large dosage being administered, and this could affect a patient short term or long term. Chemotherapy also can cause emotional changes and patients should seek counseling if they notice

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