Aa
According to Wikipedia, the definition of chemotherapy is:
"Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, is the treatment of disease by chemicals[1] especially by killing micro-organisms or cancerous cells. In popular usage, it refers to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen. In its non-oncological use, the term may also refer to antibiotics (antibacterial chemotherapy). In that sense, the first modern chemotherapeutic agent was Paul Ehrlich's arsphenamine, an arsenic compound discovered in 1909 and used to treat syphilis. This was later followed by sulfonamides discovered by Domagk and penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming.
Most commonly, chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of most cancer cells. This means that it also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; this results in the most common side effects of chemotherapy—myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract) and alopecia (hair loss).
Other uses of cytostatic chemotherapy agents (including the ones mentioned below) are the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis,Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and the suppression of transplant rejections (see immunosuppression and DMARDs). Newer anticancer drugs act directly against abnormal proteins in cancer cells; this is termed targeted therapy."
Please note paragraph #2. It sure looks like what a lot of us are dealing with right now.
Most commonly, chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of most cancer cells. This means that it also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; this results in the most common side effects of chemotherapy—myelosuppression (decreased production of blood cells), mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract) and alopecia (hair loss).
Other uses of cytostatic chemotherapy agents (including the ones mentioned below) are the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis,Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and the suppression of transplant rejections (see immunosuppression and DMARDs). Newer anticancer drugs act directly against abnormal proteins in cancer cells; this is termed targeted therapy."
Please note paragraph #2. It sure looks like what a lot of us are dealing with right now.
Best Answer
Technically and according to the medical community interferon = immunotherapy
Ribavirin = antiviral therapy
As stated on the the thread below, there is a huge difference between chemotherapy and immuno/antiviral therapy. How any one chooses to define their treatment is strictly up to them but there are distinct differences with chemo therapy being horrific for all who undergo it.
Trinity
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Re-Biopsy-after-SVR/show/1267611
Ribavirin = antiviral therapy
As stated on the the thread below, there is a huge difference between chemotherapy and immuno/antiviral therapy. How any one chooses to define their treatment is strictly up to them but there are distinct differences with chemo therapy being horrific for all who undergo it.
Trinity
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Re-Biopsy-after-SVR/show/1267611
I rather like the term chemotherapy since it creates a means of explaining the changes which may occur. I know of people who lost their jobs either during TX or as a result of disclosing their HCV positive status. Calling it chemo grants us the privacy granted to cancer patients but with less stigma and more safety.
I rather don't like the term immunotherapy or immunomodulation because IFN is not the only agent being used; there is also RBV and it is not an immunomodulator, whatever that may mean.
I also think that calling interferon an "immunomodulator" is deceptive. I don't believe that it modulates, or controls immune response, rather it increases it and in some cases it may increase it to the point that it is out of control.
A percentage of people on TX end up with auto-immune issues either during or post TX. Interferon is not advised for people with auto-immune issues. I would think that an immunomodulator would be just the ticket for people with autoimmune issues. Instead, interferon might be one of the most ill advised drug choices; it ramps up immune response where steroids ramp down immune response.
My small bone to pick with that term....
Willy
I rather don't like the term immunotherapy or immunomodulation because IFN is not the only agent being used; there is also RBV and it is not an immunomodulator, whatever that may mean.
I also think that calling interferon an "immunomodulator" is deceptive. I don't believe that it modulates, or controls immune response, rather it increases it and in some cases it may increase it to the point that it is out of control.
A percentage of people on TX end up with auto-immune issues either during or post TX. Interferon is not advised for people with auto-immune issues. I would think that an immunomodulator would be just the ticket for people with autoimmune issues. Instead, interferon might be one of the most ill advised drug choices; it ramps up immune response where steroids ramp down immune response.
My small bone to pick with that term....
Willy
Calling it chemo is a way of shutting people up if you don't want the 'conversation';"
Honestly I totally get what Diane is saying here. If you need to explain and don't want to say then it works just fine. It's really nobodies business what we are doing but some people just DONT take no for an answer and push and push and I remember wanting to punch them because they would not stop. "But what KIND of cancer do you have?" ("I dont want to talk about it thank you") "When did you GET this cancer and what kind was it again?" ("I don't want to talk about it again but thank you for your wishes") "What kind of cancer is it called again?".........GAH!
However on here for us who've undergone it, we all do (hopefully) realize that this is not really chemo - and we're damn lucky it's not. At the rate most heppers complain (self included at the time I was on tx) we'd never make it through if it were.
We are damn lucky. I don't ever want to do 'real' chemo, God bless those who have and made it through and never complainned about ribarashes and things like we do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly I totally get what Diane is saying here. If you need to explain and don't want to say then it works just fine. It's really nobodies business what we are doing but some people just DONT take no for an answer and push and push and I remember wanting to punch them because they would not stop. "But what KIND of cancer do you have?" ("I dont want to talk about it thank you") "When did you GET this cancer and what kind was it again?" ("I don't want to talk about it again but thank you for your wishes") "What kind of cancer is it called again?".........GAH!
However on here for us who've undergone it, we all do (hopefully) realize that this is not really chemo - and we're damn lucky it's not. At the rate most heppers complain (self included at the time I was on tx) we'd never make it through if it were.
We are damn lucky. I don't ever want to do 'real' chemo, God bless those who have and made it through and never complainned about ribarashes and things like we do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
According to Wikipedia? Oh my.
Trinity
Trinity
Hi Diane,
People on this board use different terms but the explanation I personally liked best came from Mr. Liver (check out the rest of that thread, it's kind of interesting):
"Chemotherapy generally involves chemicals that are used to do the exact opposite of what HCV therapy attempts to do. IFN is an immunomodulatory drug. It is used to increase the immune system's capabilities in an attempt to protect the body's living cells. Chemotherapy generally uses chemicals which are cytotoxic and results in the killing of living cells. In many chemotherapy regimens (leukemias for example) the primary goal is one of a massive die off of healthy cells....
There really isn't too much that they share in common.
But, what's in a name, anyway ? Call it whatever you want."
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/interferon-txchemotherapy/show/600215
If talking to my son (who's a scientist), I call IFN an 'immunomodulatory' drug, now that I can finally pronounce it.
If talking to a hairdresser (mine really bugged me to know why my curly hair had been straight for almost a year post-tx), I mumble that it's from chemotherapy, end of talk, and we move on to style stuff.
(BTW, many kinds of cancer are treated with immunotherapy.)
Calling it chemo is a way of shutting people up if you don't want the 'conversation'; on the other hand, it can elicit sympathy that I don't usually feel comfy with. It's still kind of hit and miss as to how I handle this out in the everyday world.
What strikes me, outside of here in forumland, is that most people don't know what Hepatitis C is, let alone immunotherapy. There's a real disconnect between the heightened awareness here on the forum and 'out there', so sometimes calling it a 'kind of chemotherapy for a year' works with less hassle.
A really smart fellow I admired on this board, Jmjm530, referred to it as chemo and if anyone knew that the 'correct' or best answer on a med school multiple choice test was immunotherapy, it was him.
So sleep tight and good night.
Susan
P.S. It seems like yesterday (to me, anyway!) that you took your first injection and now you only have 39 to go. One shot at a time, one step at a time, and you'll be looking back at this from the SVR side. Hang in there, girl.
People on this board use different terms but the explanation I personally liked best came from Mr. Liver (check out the rest of that thread, it's kind of interesting):
"Chemotherapy generally involves chemicals that are used to do the exact opposite of what HCV therapy attempts to do. IFN is an immunomodulatory drug. It is used to increase the immune system's capabilities in an attempt to protect the body's living cells. Chemotherapy generally uses chemicals which are cytotoxic and results in the killing of living cells. In many chemotherapy regimens (leukemias for example) the primary goal is one of a massive die off of healthy cells....
There really isn't too much that they share in common.
But, what's in a name, anyway ? Call it whatever you want."
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/interferon-txchemotherapy/show/600215
If talking to my son (who's a scientist), I call IFN an 'immunomodulatory' drug, now that I can finally pronounce it.
If talking to a hairdresser (mine really bugged me to know why my curly hair had been straight for almost a year post-tx), I mumble that it's from chemotherapy, end of talk, and we move on to style stuff.
(BTW, many kinds of cancer are treated with immunotherapy.)
Calling it chemo is a way of shutting people up if you don't want the 'conversation'; on the other hand, it can elicit sympathy that I don't usually feel comfy with. It's still kind of hit and miss as to how I handle this out in the everyday world.
What strikes me, outside of here in forumland, is that most people don't know what Hepatitis C is, let alone immunotherapy. There's a real disconnect between the heightened awareness here on the forum and 'out there', so sometimes calling it a 'kind of chemotherapy for a year' works with less hassle.
A really smart fellow I admired on this board, Jmjm530, referred to it as chemo and if anyone knew that the 'correct' or best answer on a med school multiple choice test was immunotherapy, it was him.
So sleep tight and good night.
Susan
P.S. It seems like yesterday (to me, anyway!) that you took your first injection and now you only have 39 to go. One shot at a time, one step at a time, and you'll be looking back at this from the SVR side. Hang in there, girl.
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Mike