Final answer:
A drug used to fight cancer is both an antineoplastic and a chemotherapeutic agent. These drugs are used in chemotherapy to target and destroy cancerous cells, often involving a combination of drugs to prevent resistance and mitigate side effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
A drug used to fight cancer can be classified as both an antineoplastic and a chemotherapeutic agent. These terms are often used interchangeably to describe medications that inhibit or prevent the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is the use of these drugs in treatment regimens to either cure cancer, prolong life, or reduce symptoms. It involves a strategic approach to target cancer cells with the aim of achieving total cell-kill, which is similar to the goal of surgical removal or radiation therapy in cancer treatment. Antineoplastic drugs come in various forms with different mechanisms of action, targeting the synthesis of pre-DNA molecule building blocks or interfering with cell division processes. It's crucial to note that the effectiveness of chemotherapy can be limited by the toxicity to normal rapidly growing cells, which includes those found in the intestinal lining and bone marrow. This can also lead to common side effects such as hair loss and digestive issues since these drugs often affect rapidly dividing cells. The combination chemotherapy, where multiple drugs are used together, is a common approach to combat the potential development of drug resistance by cancer cells.