Chemotherapy is systemic therapy, and once it enters the body usually circulates throughout the whole system to destroy malignant cells. The Chemotherapy used to treat Hodgkin's Disease traditionally is prescribed in combinations because different drugs kill cancer cells in different ways. The many drugs used in combination to treat Hodgkin's Disease, like in many cancers, are often referred to by abbreviations that are easy to remember. Chemotherapy drugs kill normal healthy cells as well as malignant cells. Careful attention is given to reduce the unwanted effects of chemotherapy.
Drugs used in chemotherapy specifically find and destroy cells that are rapidly dividing.
These drugs are effective because malignant cells divide faster than normal cells do. Normal tissues such as bone marrow, mouth and intestine lining, and the hair follicles that grow rapidly are the ones most likely to be affected by chemotherapy. As a result, patient often experience hair loss, mouth sores, lowered blood counts and resistance to infection, bleeding, and fatigue. Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting result in part from damage to intestinal cells. Effects of drugs on areas of the brain controlling appetite and vomiting also contribute to many of these problems.