In 2013, the United States was estimated to have approximately 1.6 million cancer patients. Most cancer patients turn to chemotherapy in hopes of killing any cancer cells that spread so they can have a chance to live again. Chemotherapy is defined as the use of any drug to treat any disease, however people most commonly associate chemotherapy with drugs used to treat cancer. While chemotherapy can be very effective, the success rate depends solely on the type of cancer the patient has and could potentially be successful in only 1 or 2%. Cancer is a method by which normal cells in the body rapidly mutate and develop into abnormal cells. . As early as 1880, the only method of treating cancer was radical surgery. This same treatment method continued into the 1980s. Before chemotherapy, people were treated with comfort measures, meaning they were given drugs to relieve pain until they died. Furthermore, before the 1950s, if you were hospitalized with cancer that couldn't be cured with surgery, it was a given that you were there to die. In the early 20th century, cancer treatment consisted of removing small tumors and those that were easily removable by surgery. Subsequently, radiation therapy was used to prevent the growth of those tumors that were not removed during surgery; then, chemotherapy was used to remove even smaller tumors that could not be removed by surgery or treated with radiation. The chemotherapy drug did not begin as a treatment at all. A chemical agent known as mustard gas was used in combat during World War I and later studied during World War II. It has proven effective in fighting bone marrow cell tumors. This cancer, known as... middle of paper... other treatments, such as surgery or radiation, to kill the remaining cells that are still in the body. Chemo can also be used as neoadjuvant therapy to reduce the size of tumors in preparation for other forms of treatment, or as palliative therapy to relieve pain. Doctors today use chemotherapy for diseases other than cancer, such as bone marrow diseases and immune system disorders. In my opinion, chemotherapy will also be used in the future for cancerous diseases. I believe researchers will find that other serious diseases, in addition to bone marrow diseases, can also use chemotherapy for treatment. I feel like our society today is known for being strong and not giving up hope, especially when an aggressive disease attacks. For this reason, more and more patients will choose to undergo chemotherapy treatments in the hopes of being successful at the end of the journey.