How Does chemotherapy work?

Chemotherapy refers to a class of drugs designed to target and destroy cells, particularly those that divide rapidly. Because cancer cells typically divide more quickly than most normal cells, they are especially susceptible to the effects of chemotherapy. Since some other healthy cells — like those in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and hair follicles — also divide quickly, chemotherapy can cause side effects in these tissues.”

Chemotherapy was first discovered as a by effect of battlefields of world war II. This lead to exposure of soldiers to nitrogen mustards and doctors noticed that their cell counts are lower than normal.

n 1942, two Yale University pharmacologists, Dr. Alfred Gilman and Dr. Louis Goodman, conducted the first successful chemotherapy treatment using nitrogen mustard on a patient with advanced lymphoma. The results were remarkable for the time: the tumors shrank dramatically, though the effect was temporary.

Later on, more discoveries happened and till this date we still use nitrogen mustard derivatives like “cyclophosphamide” and “Ifosfamide”, but we learned how to harness those compounds in terms of knowing the dose and the management of its side effects.

Later on scientists made many discoveries like exploring natural substances produced by microorganisms, lead to discovery of  doxorubicin (also known by the brand name Adriamycin), which was approved for clinical use in the 1970s.

Over the years, many other chemotherapy drugs were discovered, including vinca alkaloids, antimetabolites, and platinum compounds. These advancements paved the way for the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies, which represent the next frontier in cancer treatment.