The primary reason for the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents lies in their mechanism of action. Most chemotherapy drugs do not discriminate between cancerous and non-cancerous rapidly dividing cells. As a result, tissues with high cell turnover such as the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and hair follicles are particularly susceptible to damage, leading to side effects such as myelosuppression, mucositis, and alopecia.
