CHEMOTHERAPY FOR MESOTHELIOMA
In the simplest sense, chemotherapy is the administration of cancer-killing chemicals to the cancer sufferer. The problem is, as with radiation, healthy cells get damaged too. Deciding whether or not to have chemotherapy is a matter of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages - once again, this is where expert practitioners are essential in helping you come to a decision.
The type of chemicals administered will be dependent upon the type of cancer cells you have in your body - something we talked about at the beginning of last week. As mesothelioma can involve several different types of cells, it is likely that you will receive a combination of different chemicals, as appropriate. Different types of chemicals are administered in different ways, although usually administered directly into the blood stream via an injection into a vein (IV), you may also find that you take the chemicals by mouth (PO), have them injected under the skin (SC), or injected into a muscle (IM).
Listed below are some of the groups of drugs you might come across during your treatment journey:
Alkylating agents
These are the oldest and most commonly used group of chemotherapy drugs. They work by directly damaging DNA and preventing cancer cells from reproducing. This group of drugs tend to be used for slow growing cancers and they kill cancer cells at any stage of the cell cycle. This means that they kill mature cells just as well as they kill developing or new cells.
Examples: carboplatin, cisplatin and oxaliplatin.
Antimetabolites
This group of drugs interrupt DNA and RNA growth. They are only effective at a specific phase of a cell's life.
Examples: capecitabine, gemcitabine.and pemetrexed (Alimta).
Anthracyclines
This group of drugs are antibiotics that interfere with enzymes necessary for the DNA to copy itself. They are effective at any stage of the cell-cycle, and are used to treat a variety of cancers.
Examples: bleomycin, doxorubicin and mitomycin-C.
Plant Alkaloids
Plant alkaloids are derived from certain types of plants found in nature, and inhibit or prevent cell division or inhibit enzymes from making proteins necessary for cell reproduction. Most plant alkaloids are only effective at certain stages of the cell-cycle but can cause damage in all phases.
Examples:
the taxanes, docetaxel and paclitaxel,
the vinca alkaloids, vinblastine, vincristine and vinorelbine
All of the above have been used in the treatment of Mesothelioma.