Every two weeks, David Rose spends three hours at Mayo Clinic receiving chemotherapy for a brain tumor called a glioblastoma. He started the experimental treatment about nine months ago.

Standard treatments such as surgery, radiation and other types of chemotherapy worked for a while, but the tumor kept coming back.

“His tumor was much more aggressive when it came back. It was dividing at a much more rapid rate. We thought it was pretty much the end for David at that point,” say Doctor Kurt Jaeckle, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic.

But Dr. Jaeckle says a chemotherapy drug called Bevacizumab, which is FDA approved for colon and lung cancer, has reduced David’s tumor to the point where you can’t see it on an MRI.

Tumor growth depends on blood flow from nearby vessels. These vessels grow into the tumor after receiving a signal from the tumor.

That signal is a protein called VEGF. The medication David receives blocks the VEGF from attaching to receptors on the blood vessels. Without the signals to grow, the tumor can shrink.

The FDA has not yet approved this drug as a brain cancer treatment, but research suggests that it could be effective for more than 50% of the people who use it.

“The jury is still out if this will translate into patients living longer, staying disease-free for a longer period of time. But we’re all excited,” says Jaeckle.

And they’re excited for David, who is living a normal life while battling a deadly disease.

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Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy is treatment for cancer in which drugs are used to eradicate cancer. With chemotherapy, extended life span, better quality life can be achieved by shrinking or removing tumor. However, chemotherapy treatment is associated with some side effects.

Chemotherapy treatment is administered in cycles. Each cycle have rest period which allow patient to recover from side effect that are associated with treatment. No of cycles, duration, drugs, drugs amount given for the chemotherapy treatment is depends on type and stage of your cancer.

Also, the treatment plan has been developed and redefined in term of cycle, drug or doses to get maximum benefits. Such modification in your treatment plan is made only by your doctor. You should not miss any chemotherapy dose during treatment. During and after your chemotherapy treatment, try to keep yourself as active as possible. You should do some moderate exercises such as walking, swimming on daily basis to keep you fit.

Chemotherapy treatment is associated with some side effects as drugs used in the treatment also affect other healthy body cell along with cancerous cell. Side effects that are associated with chemotherapy treatment include hair follicles, nausea, sickness, vomiting, blood clotting, fatigue, diminished appetite, digestive tract and many more. Recovery period during treatment allows these healthy cells to recover and repair themselves.

Each time when you visit your doctor, make list of your question. Ask all questions that are in your mind related your cancer, chemotherapy treatment and its possible side effects. Note down the points on paper. If you don?t understand some point, ask your doctor to repeat it. When you visit your doctor, you should always accompany with your close friend or family member.

Chemotherapy drugs targets rapidly growing cancerous cell and damage them so that they can not grow or spread. Mostly chemotherapy treatment is applied at clinic or hospitals? out patient department. Sometimes chemotherapy treatment is also carried out at home or office. It depends on type of drug, your insurance, your and doctor?s wish. Mostly, it is carried out at hospital OPD so that treatment can be monitored easily.

Chemotherapy drugs are administered through vein, injection, orally or applied on skin. Mostly chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously through a vein. It can also be administered through catheters, ports and pumps. Some chemotherapy drugs are in the form of pill, capsule or liquid form which can be taken orally. Another way of application of chemotherapy dug is through injection. In this method, drugs are administered using needle or syringe in different ways. Some drugs are applied directly on the surface of skin.

Some medicine or drugs other than chemotherapy drugs if taken during treatment may interfere with chemotherapy drug to affect effect of treatment. You should consult with doctor before taking any such type of medicine such as vitamins, laxatives and other pain relievers.

You have to give some physical exams and test to see whether chemotherapy treatment is working for you or not. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor about test result and your response to chemotherapy treatment.

About the Author:For more information on chemotherapy and cancer symptoms, please visit our resource sites.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – What to Expect From Chemotherapy
Technorati Tag: Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, one of the methods for cancer treatment, is performed by subjecting the anti-cancer drugs into the bloodstream and killing all the cancer cells in the body. It could be used both ways, in sense, before performing the surgery as well as after performing the surgery. In the first case, it is used to reduce the size of the tumors and the latter is to kill the cancer cells that remain even after the surgery is performed.

Chemotherapy method started to emerge from the year 1940, initially nitrogen mustards and folic acids were employed. Now-a-days modern version of chemotherapy is performed but the limitations and the principles which are used in the older days remain unchanged.

The first solid cell tumor called choriocarcenoma, in the year 958, was cured by the chemotherapy treatment using a drug called mehotrexate, by the National Cancer Institute, shortly known as NCI.

The combination therapy was started in the year 1965. James Holland and Emil Freireich formulated the cancer chemotherapy should follow the strategy of combination of drugs. The combination should vary for different cancers.

Gianni Bonadonna of Italy proved that adjuvant chemotherapy cures the breast cancer to more extent, even when the cancer cells spread out to the other parts.

As the chemotherapy not only cured the cancer, but also brought up some side effects in most of the cases. So it was necessary to use a supportive therapy in the form of antibiotics.

Alkylating agents, anti-metabolits, anthracyclines, antitumor antibiotics, monoclonal antibodies, platinums, or plant alkaloids, are the chemotherapy treatment methods.

Anand prabhakar is an author living in India. He is an expert in what is chemotherapy and you can learn a lot about it from his website history of chemotherapy
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In popular usage, chemotherapy refers to antineoplastic drugs (“anticancer” drugs) used to weaken and destroy cancer cells in the body, including cells at the original cancer site and any cancer cells that may have spread to another part of the body.

Chemotherapy, often shortened to just “chemo,” is a systemic therapy, which means it affects the whole body by going through the bloodstream. Chemotherapy acts by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of cancer cells. Healthy cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances can also be harmed. Harm to healthy cells is what causes side effects.

Although chemotherapy treatment leads to unwanted side effects, chemotherapy still consider as one of cancer treatment options or given before surgery to shrink the cancer in some cases. Basically, the purposes of chemotherapy treatment are:

Assassinate Cancer Cells

Chemotherapy usually is used to treat patients beside cancer that has spread from the place surrounded by the body where it started (metastasized). Chemotherapy destroys cancer cell anywhere in the body. It even kill cells that own broken off from the largest tumor and traveled through the blood or lymph systems to other parts of the body.

Control the Disease

In some cases, it is used to slow the growth of cancer cells or to save the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. When a cancer has been removed by surgery, chemotherapy may be used to keep the cancer from adjuvant therapy (after surgery or radiation). When the cancer is at an advanced stage, chemotherapy drugs may be used to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer.

To achieve the above purpose of chemotherapy treatment, it can be administered in a number of different ways to treat tumors, depending on the site of the tumor, the size of the tumor, and the health and age of the patient.

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Nowadays chemotherapy is found to be the best treatment to kill cancer cells. A combination of different drugs is used to destroy major number of cancerous cells. Some side effects like weight loss, memory loss, hair fall, nausea and so on may occur due to chemotherapy treatment and these drugs can also damage healthy cells.

There are various types of cancers and every type requires different drugs at different stages. Before going through chemotherapy treatment, drugs used in it should be tested in clinical trials to prove its effectiveness. It’s side effects also depend on other conditions like age and health of patient.

Following are the types of chemotherapy:

• Alkylating medications: Alkylating agents block DNA replication of cancer cells, which can destroy cancer cells at any phase of cancer. These drugs are commonly used for cancer of ovaries, breast and lungs. Some alkylating agents are alkylsulfonates: busulfan, metal carboplatin, oxalipaltin, salts: cispaltin and many more are used in chemotherapy treatment.

• Anti-tumor antibiotics: These are natural products produced by soil fungus streptomycin. Anti tumor antibiotics work during the multiple phases of cancer cell cycle. Some examples of anti-tumor antibiotics are mitomycin, plicamyacin, dactinomycin etc.

• Antimetabolite medications: It effectively blocks the enzymes found within the cancerous cells. Antimetabolite medication works by interfering with DNA and RNA growth. These drugs are very effective during Synthesis phase of cell cycle.

• Anti-tumor Antibiotic medications: It works interfering with DNA of cancerous cell. This interference blocks the enzymes and changes the cell membrane of cancerous cells and also interrupts cell division.

• Plant alkaloids: These are naturally produced from herbs and shrubs. Plant alkaloids like vinca, taxanes, paclitaxel, docetaxel, etc are used to treat cancer cells.

• Anthracyclines: Anthracyclines interfere with enzymes required to reproduce the DNA. Some anti-tumor antibiotics and non-particular antibiotics are used to cure different types of cancer. Doxorubicin, bleomycin and mitomycin are examples of some drugs used for chemotherapy treatment.

• Topoisomerase inhibitors: It plays important role in controlling the exploitation of DNA structure. Topotecan, etoposide phosphate, ironotecan and teniposide are some examples of drugs used during this type of chemotherapy treatment.

You can also read different types of chemotherapy and website echemotherapy.com provides detailed information on chemotherapy and its side effects.

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Technorati Tag: Chemotherapy