Medication

Medication often plays a crucial role in the treatment of cancer. It is usually administered for one of three reasons: to directly combat cancer, to reduce the amount of suffering due to cancer symptoms (palliative care), or to treat the side-effects of anti-cancer treatment.

The most prominent form of anti-cancer medication is chemotherapy drugs, which are drugs aimed at killing the rapidly dividing cancer cells. Other drugs specifically designed for the treatment of cancer include various biological therapy drugs, which boost the body's immune system, and hormone therapy drugs, which primarily treat certain female and male reproductive cancers (1, 2).

There are several chemotherapy drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of mesothelioma. There are several non-chemotherapy drugs also available. Of these, Alimta (it's known generically as pemetrexed), is the only one developed specifically to help combat mesothelioma. Other drugs that are known to have some impact on mesothelioma tissue growth include endostatin, angiostatin, Celebrex, Gemzar (generically, gemcitabine), Cisplatin, and Onconase (3).

Most other forms of medication given to mesothelioma patients-and cancer patients in general-are directed at reducing pain resulting from the cancer itself or the anti-cancer treatments. For mild pain, these medications typically include common pain-relieves like acetaminophen and non-steroid anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) like ibruprofen. When mild medication is inadequate, the class of drugs known as "opioids" are often used. These include hydrocodone, codeine, oxycodone, and morphine (2).

Pain medication can be delivered via a number of different methods: Orally in the form of pills, capsules, and liquids; through injection; intravenously; by a transdermal patch; rectally; or via an epidural catheter that delivers pain medication through a catheter near the spine (2).

'Medication' Sources:
  1. "Cancer Drug & Medication Center." From iVillage.com. Available; http://cancer.health.ivillage.com/cancerdrugmedication/ (Accessed August 17, 2007).
  2. "Cancer Pain Treatments." From Cancer-Pain.org. Available: http://www.cancer-pain.org/treatments/treatments.html (Accessed August 17, 2007).
  3. "Mesothelioma Treatment Drugs From CancerMesothelioma.com. Available: http://www.cancermesothelioma.com/html/mesothelioma-treatment-drugs.html (Accessed August 17, 2007).




 

 

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