Principles of chemotherapy

Chemotherapeutic agents can be used to increase both the length and the quality of the lives of patients with a wide variety of neoplastic diseases. The therapeutic index for many of these agents is very narrow; thus, close attention must be paid to proper dosing and timing of treatment. Proper patient selection is also critical for successful chemotherapy treatment. If the clinician is familiar with the agents being used, then toxicities can often be anticipated and then treated, or in some cases prevented, to ensure continued quality of life. The purpose of this article is to review the basic principles for the safe and effective use of various chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of neoplastic diseases.