Chemotherapy is one of the most effective ways of treating cancer. There is a list of common chemotherapy drugs which are widely used in treating various types of cancer. Scroll down for more information.
Chemotherapy is one of the most common and effective cancer treatment. It is done with the help of chemotherapy drugs which kill the rapidly growing cancerous cells. The usage and selection of the drugs totally depends upon the type of cancer. Sometimes only one drug is used and sometimes there is a combination of many drugs. There are more than 50 chemotherapy drugs which are used for treating different types of cancers.
Most Commonly Used Chemotherapy Drugs
There is a huge list of chemotherapy drugs which are specifically used for different types of cancers. For example, drugs for breast cancer are cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, paclitaxel, etc. and drugs for lung cancer are carboplatin, etoposide, gemcitabine, etc. Similarly for every cancer, there are a few specific drugs which are used. Apart from these, drugs like methotrexate can be used for cancers of the breast, lung, blood, bone, and lymph system. These drugs can be given orally, intravenously, intrathecally or topically. The basic function of these drugs is to kill the rapidly growing cells which are the cancerous cells. But at the same time, it damages the functioning of the other rapidly growing cells too like white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Hence all the chemotherapy drugs have side effects. These side effects may vary according to the dosage, type of cancer, type of drug and the person’s resistance power. Here is a list of some of the commonly used chemotherapy drugs.
| Drugs | Used for | Possible Side Effects |
| Carboplatin (Paraplatin) | Used to treat cancer of the head, neck, lung and ovary. It is given intravenously. | Its possible side effects are hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, decreased blood cell count, etc. |
| Cisplatin (Platinol, Platinol-AQ) | Used to treat cancer of the testicles, bladder and ovary. It is given intravenously. | Its possible side effects are allergic reaction, decrease in blood cell count, ringing in ears, nausea, vomiting, kidney damage, etc. |
| Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) | Used to treat breast cancer, lymphoma and ovarian carcinoma. It is an oral chemotherapy drug but can also be given intravenously. | Side effects of this drug may consists of nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fertility problems, lungs damage, heart problems, decreased blood cell count, etc. |
| Docetaxel (Taxotere) | Used to treat cancer of the prostate, lung and breast. It is given intravenously. | Its side effects are diarrhea, hair thinning, rash, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood cell count, numbness in hands and feet, etc. |
| Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) | Used to treat multiple myeloma, lymphoma and breast cancer. It is given intravenously. | Mouth ulcer, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, heart damage, decreased blood cell count, etc are some of the side effects of this drug. |
| Etoposide (VePesid) | Used to treat cancers of the testicles, lung, leukemia and lymphoma. It can be given intravenously or orally. | Its side effects may be hair loss, nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions, low blood pressure, decreased appetite, decreased blood cell count, mouth ulcer, symptoms of flu, etc. |
| Fluorouracil (5-FU) | Used to treat cancer of the breast, stomach, head, neck. It is also among the chemotherapy drugs for colon cancer. It is given intravenously. | Its common side effects are photo sensitivity, mouth ulcer, dry skin, diarrhea, decreased blood cell count, etc. |
| Gemcitabine (Gemzar) | Used to treat cancer of the breast, lungs and pancreas. It is among the chemotherapy drugs for ovarian cancer. It is given intravenously. | Its side effects are nausea, vomiting, fever, rash, decreased blood cell count, flu like symptoms etc. |
| Methotrexate (Folex, Mexate, Amethopterin) | Used to treat cancer of the lung, blood, bone, breast and lymph system. It can be given intravenously (IV), intrathecally (into the spinal column) or orally. | Its possible side effects are dizziness, headache, skin rash, photo sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, kidney and liver damage, decreased blood cell count, etc. |
| Paclitaxel (Taxol) | Used to treat the cancer of lungs, breast and ovaries. It is given intravenously. | The possible side effects of this drug are allergic reaction, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, taste change, joint pain, numbness and tingling in fingertips and toes, allergic reactions, decreased blood cell count etc. |
Other Drugs
- Erlotinib (Tarceva)
- Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec)
- Irinotecan (Camptosar)
- Sorafinib (Nexavar)
- Sunitinib (Sutent)
- Topotecan (Hycamtin)
- Vincristine (Oncovin, Vincasar PFS)
- Vinblastine (Velban)
- Rituximab (Rituxan)
- Bleomycin (is an antibiotic)
So these were some of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer. These drugs and medication are the most successful treatment for cancer till date. Hence in spite of there dangerous side effects, they are used to treat one of the most dangerous diseases. It’s not necessary that only the above given drugs will be prescribed to the patient as there are many other drugs too which are very effective. With this we come to an end of this HealthHearty article. We hope the content was informative and helpful.
