A toxic yellow cloud known as mustard gas was one of the horrors of trench warfare during World War I. Those unfortunate enough to be exposed may have found it almost impossible to breathe, burned their eyes and created massive blisters on exposed skin. Scientists worked feverishly to come up with an antidote to this lethal weapon of war. They determined that the gas was irreversibly destroying the bone marrow of affected soldiers, preventing it from producing blood cells. Despite the negative consequences, it provided scientists with an idea.
Cancer cells and bone marrow have one thing in common: they both reproduce quickly. So, could one of war’s most heinous crimes become a cancer-fighting hero? In the 1930s, researchers tested this theory by infusing mustard gas-derived chemicals into the veins of cancer patients. It took a long time and a lot of trial and error to develop medicines that were more beneficial than harmful, but by the end of World War II, they had identified the first chemotherapy drugs
There are now more than 100. Chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic agents, which are substances that are poisonous to living cells, and are given as pills or injections. In essence, these drugs destroy all cells in the body, including healthy ones, but they focus their most potent effects on fast dividing cells, which is the hallmark of cancer.
Consider the original chemotherapy drugs, known as alkylating agents, which are still in use today. They are injected into the bloodstream, which transports them to all of the body’s cells. When a cell exposes its DNA to copy it, the building blocks of DNA’s double helix structure are damaged, which can lead to cell death if the damage is not repaired. Because cancer cells reproduce quickly, they absorb a high concentration of alkylating chemicals, and their DNA is constantly exposed and seldom repaired, they die off more frequently than most normal cells, which have time to repair damaged DNA and do not acquire the same levels of alkylating agents.
This is just one of the six types of chemotherapy medications currently used to treat cancer, but chemotherapy does have one significant drawback. It has an effect on other healthy cells in the body that must naturally replenish themselves. Hair follicles, oral cells, gastrointestinal lining, reproductive system, and bone marrow are all affected in a similar way to cancer. The rapid reproduction of these normal cells, like that of cancer cells, means that they are seeking for resources more frequently and are thus more vulnerable to the impacts of chemo drugs. Chemotherapy can cause a variety of adverse effects, including hair loss, fatigue, infertility, nausea, and vomiting. When a round of chemotherapy is completed, however, the healthy tissues that were adversely impacted by the medicine will recover and begin to renew normally.
Researchers are continually developing more precise therapies that exclusively target cancer cells. The goal is to increase survival rates while minimising damage to healthy tissues, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of one of the most powerful cancer-fighting technologies. However, not all types of cancer are suitable for targeted therapy. Additionally, cancer cells can develop resistance to these treatments. Resistance occurs when the target within the cancer cells changes, rendering the therapy ineffective.
To complement advanced cancer therapies and tackle resistance issues, boosting your immune system naturally is vital. Simple lifestyle changes—such as a balanced diet rich in a variety of nutrient dense foods, regular exercise, adequate sleep, stress management, staying hydrated, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol—can strengthen your immunity. Adding Kiseki postbiotics, essential vitamins and minerals with professional guidance can further enhance immune function. These strategies help your body fight cancer more effectively and support ongoing treatments.
