the.com/chemotherapy
A harsh treatment that targets fast-dividing cancer cells while patients endure difficult side effects.
means Treatment of disease, especially cancer, using chemical substances that target and destroy fast-dividing cells.
from Built from Greek 'chemo-' (chemical) plus 'therapeia' (healing, medical treatment), the word was coined in the early 1900s by chemist Paul Ehrlich, who used it broadly for any disease treatment by chemical compounds — his real dream was a 'magic bullet' that would kill pathogens while sparing the patient. The term narrowed over the 20th century to mean cancer-fighting drugs specifically, after researchers noticed that chemicals related to mustard gas used in WWI could also kill rapidly dividing cells, cancerous ones included.
- origin
- derived from early 1900s arsenic-based syphilis treatments
- mechanism
- targets all fast-dividing cells, hence hair loss
- nausea cause
- triggers the brainstem's vomiting center directly
- first success
- mustard gas research led to leukemia drugs