Growth, hormone agents, Cancer chemotherapy

CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS. ANTICANCER. Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as the principal cause of human mortality. As the median age of populations has risen, total deaths from cancer have increased. Treatment of cancer includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, die last encompassing the use of both cytotoxic agents and relatively nnntoxic hormonal agents for the control of tumor growth. 

Modem cancer therapy has been primarily dependent upon surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy (72) (see Chemotherapeutics,anticancer Hormones Radiopharmaceuticals). Chemotherapeutic agents maybe able to retard the rate of growth, but are unable to eradicate the entire population of neoplastic cells without significant destmction of normal host tissue. This serious side effect limits general use. More recentiy, the immunotherapeutic approach to cancer has involved modification and exploitation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms in host defense, regulation of tissue proliferation, tissue differentiation, and tissue survival. The results have been more than encouraging. 

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