Careers
Explore
Colo-rectal Cancer Management - Chemotherapy
Systemic chemotherapy
Here the medicines are taken by mouth or injected into a vein and enter the bloodstream to reach
Regional chemotherapy
Here the medicines are concentrated in areas where there is cancer cell growth. These medicines are injected directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen.
Chemotherapy drugs used to treat
- 5-fluorouracil
- Leucovorin
- Irinotecan
- Capecitabine
- Oxaliplatin
Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells. The side effects of therapy are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Hair loss
- Hand and Foot swelling
- Rashes
- Mouth sores
- Increased chances of infection (due to a shortage of white blood cells)
- Bleeding or bruising after minor cuts or injuries (due to a shortage of blood platelets)
- Fatigue (due to low red blood cell counts)
References:
- Colorectal Cancer—Patient Version - (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal)
- Colorectal Cancer - (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colorectalcancer.html)
Good