User:Mossmh/sandbox

= Chemo-protective Agent = A Chemo-protective agent is a medical term that describes a drug that helps to reduce the side effects on the body while undergoing chemotherapy. These agents protect specific body parts from the harmful anti-cancer treatments that could potentially cause permanent damage to important bodily tissues. Chemo-protective agents have only recently been introduced as a factor involved with chemotherapy with the intent to assist those cancer patients that require treatment, which as an end result, improves the patients quality of life.

Examples include:


 * Amifostine , can protect from renal (kidney) failure and other negative effects caused specifically by cisplatin, which is a chemotherapeutic drug
 * Dexrazoxane, has been known to help prevent cardiac (heart) damage in females who have breast cancer and can treat tissue damage caused by anti-cancer medicines
 * Mesna, commonly used to lower the chances of bladder complications caused by cyclophosphamide and or ifosfamide, which are common anti-cancer drugs

Risks
Chemo-protective agents are common drugs and like many other drugs, may have side effects of their own. Each agent has different side effects though the most common consist of dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, fever, etc. It is important to discuss the side effects of these drugs with a doctor before using them to combat any type of chemotherapy to insure the drug will benefit you.