Anti Cancer Drugs

I.               Anticancer drugs

A.    Destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying at one or more points in their life cycle.

B.     Combination Chemotherapy

1.      Some drugs work better together than alone.

2.      Chemotherapy often may consist of more than one drug.

C.     Sometimes, a doctor may suggest a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation therapy.

II.             Types of drugs which may be used to treat cancer.

A.    These may include certain drugs that can block the effect of hormones.

B.     Doctors may also use biological therapy to boost the body's natural defenses against cancer.

C.     Asparaginase, busulfan, bleomycin, dacarbazine, etoposide, fludarabine, mercaptopurine, etc.

1.      Injected into a large muscle, a vein, or under the skin. It can be given alone or with other drugs.

2.      Slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body

3.      Common Side Effects

a.      Allergic reactions
Rash, itching, redness, hives and/or difficulty breathing during the treatment or shortly after the treatment.

b.      Fever, loss of energy, or body aches
What to do: If you experience fever or chills, let your doctor or nurse know. Before taking any medications contact your doctor or nurse.

III.           What Can Chemotherapy Achieve?

A.    Depending on the type of cancer and its stage of development, chemotherapy can be used:

1.      To cure cancer.

2.      To keep the cancer from spreading.

3.      To slow the cancer's growth.

4.      To kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body from the original tumor.

5.      To relieve symptoms that may be caused by the cancer.

6.      Chemotherapy also can help people live more comfortably; this is known as palliative care.

B.     Sometimes chemotherapy is the only therapy a patient receives

1.      More often, however, chemotherapy is used in addition to surgery and/or radiation therapy; when it is used for this purpose, it is called adjuvant therapy.

2.      There are several reasons why chemotherapy may be given in addition to other treatment methods.

a.      For instance, chemotherapy may be used to shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation therapy.

b.      It also may be used after surgery and/or radiation therapy to help destroy any cancer cells that may remain.

IV.           Depending on the type of cancer and the drug or drugs administered, chemotherapy may be given in one or more of the following ways

A.    Into a vein (intravenously, or IV).

B.     By mouth (orally, or PO) in pill, capsule, or liquid form.

C.     Into a muscle (intramuscularly, or IM)

D.    Under the skin (subcutaneously, or SQ or SC)

E.     Directly into a cancerous area in the skin (intralesionally, or IL).

F.     Topically. The medication will be applied onto the skin.

G.     Chemotherapy also may be delivered to specific areas of the body using a catheter (or a catheter plus a port).

References

Cancer Drugs. http://topics.newsedge.com/topic.nsf/by+profid/PHMXCNCR. 2000. News Edge Review.

Chemotherapy and You. http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/chemotherapy/chemoint.html. 2000-2001. National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.

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