Chemotherapy

Called the "anticancer drug," chemotherapy consists of a personalized combination of potent chemotherapy drugs designed to slow rapid cancer tumor growth, shrink tumors, kill cancer cells, and prevent the spread of lung cancer. These chemotherapy drugs prevent cells from replicating in the typical, out-of-control manner in which cancer cells divide.

Types of Chemotherapy Drugs

Chemotherapy drugs are often used in conjunction with other lung cancer treatments, such as lung cancer surgery, as a safety precaution. For example, even if a tumor is successfully removed during surgery, cancer cells can still remain embedded in surrounding tissue. Chemotherapy drugs are able to kill these remaining cells and whatever cells have broken off the tumor that was removed, effectively wiping out all local cancer.

Chemotherapy drugs are often administered in a sequence of rounds or cycles; each set of cycles is called a course. Usually, each chemotherapy drug lung cancer treatment course contains four to eight cycles and includes some form of Iressa or Taxol. Below is a list of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs.

Paclitaxel / Taxol - Paclitaxel, sold under the brand name Taxol, is a popular prescription chemotherapy drug used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. Paclitaxel is typically combined with cisplatin, another chemotherapy drug, and is given to patients who are strong enough for chemotherapy but not strong enough for other lung cancer treatment methods, such as surgery or radiation therapy.

Xyotax - Xyotax is being developed to improve the effectiveness of Taxol / Paclitaxel. Xyotax is believed to reduce the time it takes paclitaxel chemotherapy to work, thereby preventing serious allergic reactions and other serious side effects in patients taking Taxol. Xyotax is also designed to be absorbed by tumor-laden tissue rather than healthy tissue, thus eliminating the toxic effect of Xyotax on the body.

Iressa / Gefitinib - Iressa with Gefitinib is a new chemotherapy drug designed to inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells by blocking the release of the enzyme tyrosine kinase, which normally aids in their replication. Iressa's active ingredient is Gefitinib. Iressa with Gefitinib is usually administered as a single chemotherapy drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer that has not effectively responded to other chemotherapy drugs.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Because chemotherapy drugs are strong enough to kill cancerous cells, they are also strong enough to kill normal, healthy ones. This killing off of healthy cells surfaces in the form of side effects of chemotherapy, including nausea, hair loss, vomiting, and some memory problems.

Locate a Lung Cancer Attorney in Your Area

If you or someone you love is currently being treated for lung cancer, it is important for you to speak with a lung cancer lawyer to learn about your legal options. Use our legal directory to locate a lung cancer lawyer near you.