What kind of drugs are used for chemotherapy?
Many different kinds of chemotherapy or chemo drugs are used to treat cancer – either alone or in combination with other drugs or treatments.
…
Examples of alkylating agents include:
- Altretamine.
- Bendamustine.
- Busulfan.
- Carboplatin.
- Carmustine.
- Chlorambucil.
- Cisplatin.
- Cyclophosphamide.
What is the most commonly used chemotherapy drug?
Alkylating agents were among the first anti-cancer drugs and are the most commonly used agents in chemotherapy today.
What is the name of the chemo pill?
Capecitabine is the generic name for the trade name drug Xeloda. In some cases, health care professionals may use the trade name Xeloda when referring to the generic drug name capecitabine.
What’s the worst chemotherapy drug?
Doxorubicin, an old chemotherapy drug that carries this unusual moniker because of its distinctive hue and fearsome toxicity, remains a key treatment for many cancer patients.
How many rounds of chemo is normal?
You may need four to eight cycles to treat your cancer. A series of cycles is called a course. Your course can take 3 to 6 months to complete. And you may need more than one course of chemo to beat the cancer.
Is 12 cycles of chemo a lot?
Use the drug until maximum benefit, then back off and do some sort of maintenance approach. And remember: There is nothing, nothing, nothing magic about 12 cycles.
What is the main ingredient in chemotherapy?
There are several types of alkylating agents used in chemotherapy treatments: Mustard gas derivatives: Mechlorethamine, Cyclophosphamide, Chlorambucil, Melphalan, and Ifosfamide. Ethylenimines: Thiotepa and Hexamethylmelamine.
What are the five classes of chemotherapy drugs?
Some of the well known classes of cancer chemotherapy agents include alkylating agents, plant alkaloids, antimetabolites, anthracyclines, topoisomerase inhibitors and corticosteroids.
- Normal cell cycle. …
- Alkylating agents. …
- Antimetabolites. …
- Anthracyclines. …
- Topoisomerase inhibitors. …
- Plant alkaloids. …
- Corticosteroids.
What are the two types of chemotherapy drugs?
Types of chemotherapy drugs
- Alkylating agents. This group of medicines works directly on DNA to keep the cell from reproducing itself. …
- Nitrosoureas. …
- Anti-metabolites. …
- Plant alkaloids and natural products. …
- Anti-tumor antibiotics. …
- Hormonal agents. …
- Biological response modifiers.
What is the difference between chemo and chemo pills?
Oral chemotherapy comes in a pill or liquid gel form. You take it at home, by mouth, making sure to follow safety precautions as directed. Oral chemotherapy is sometimes taken daily, whereas IV chemotherapy is usually (not always) given once every few weeks.