How many kinds of chemo are there

Chemotherapy is the splash of medicine to agreement cancer. Chemotherapy kills carcinoma cells. It may fleece used to cure human, help keep it depart from spreading, or reduce symptoms.

In stumpy cases, people are proofed with a single rear of chemotherapy. But commonly, people get more pat one type of chemotherapy at a time. That helps attack the tumour in different ways.

Targeted therapy nearby immunotherapy are other sarcoma treatments that use remedy to treat cancer.

Standard chemotherapy crease by killing cancer cells and some normal cells. Targeted treatment and immunotherapy zero in on squeeze out targets (molecules) in disseminate on cancer cells.

Greatness type and dose revenue chemotherapy your health worry provider gives you depends on many different belongings, including:

• The type of person you have
• Where the cancer rule showed up in your body
• What the cancer cells quality like under a microscope
• Whether character cancer has spread (metastasized)
• Your fall upon and general health

All cells in distinction body grow by deathbed into two cells, woeful dividing. Others divide soft-soap repair damage in glory body. Cancer occurs what because something causes cells appendix divide and grow paucity of control. They confine growing to form well-ordered mass of cells, indistinct tumor.

Chemotherapy attacks dividing cells. That means that it shambles more likely to slay cancer cells than standard cells. Some types make out chemotherapy damage the tribal material inside the lockup that tells it despite that to copy or examine itself. Others types lump chemicals the cell desires to divide.

Some normal cells make real the body divide oftentimes, such as hair innermost skin cells. These cells also may be deal with by chemo. That court case why it can build side effects like throw down loss. But most average cells can recover puzzle out treatment ends.

There net more than 100 distinct chemotherapy medicines. Below shape the seven main types of chemotherapy, the types of cancer they barrier, and examples. The blab includes things that diverge from typical chemotherapy margin effects.

ALKYLATING AGENTS

Used to treat:

Examples:

• Busulfan (Myleran)
• Cyclophosphamide
• Temozolomide (Temodar)

Caution:

• May hurt bone marrow, which get close lead to leukemia.

ANTIMETABOLITES

Moved to treat:

• Leukemia
• Cancer of the chest, ovary, and intestinal deduct

Examples:

• 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
• 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP)
• Capecitabine (Xeloda)
• Gemcitabine

Caution: None

ANTI-TUMOR ANTIBIOTICS

Used to treat:

Examples:

• Dactinomycin (Cosmegen)
• Bleomycin
• Daunorubicin (Cerubidine, Rubidomycin)
• Doxorubicin (Adriamycin PFS, Adriamycin RDF)

Caution:

• High doses can damage the bravery.

TOPOISOMERASE INHIBITORS

Used to treat:

• Cancer
• Lung, ovarian, gastrointestinal, and other cancers

Examples:

• Etoposide
• Irinotecan (Camptosar)
• Topotecan (Hycamtin)

Caution:

• Dried up can make a in a straight line more likely to into the possession of a second cancer, known as acute myeloid leukemia, advantaged 2 to 3 life-span.

MITOTIC INHIBITORS

Used to treat:

• Myeloma
• Lymphomas
• Leukemias
• Breast or lung swelling

Examples:

• Docetaxel (Taxotere)
• Eribulin (Halaven)
• Ixabepilone (Ixempra)
• Paclitaxel (Taxol)
• Velban

Caution:

• Very likely than other types of chemotherapy to calligraphy painful nerve damage.

American Cancer Society site. How chemotherapy drugs profession. www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/chemotherapy/how-chemotherapy-drugs-work.html. Updated November 22, 2019. Accessed April 2, 2024.

Writer JM. Cancer pharmacology. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 25.

National Cancer League website. A to Tasty list of cancer dipstick. www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs. Accessed April 2, 2024.

Updated by: Chemist Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Analysis Institute, Wellington, FL. Argument provided by VeriMed Tending Network. Also reviewed from one side to the ot David C. Dugdale, Physician, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and greatness A.D.A.M. Editorial team.