What is RICE Chemotherapy

RICE chemotherapy can be used to treat a variety of cancers, including bone cancer, bowel cancer, melanoma, brain tumors, bladder cancer, lung cancer, and more. However, it is most commonly used for lymphoma, which is a cancer that occurs in the body’s lymph nodes. There are two different types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. RICE chemotherapy can be used to treat both types of lymphoma.

Drugs Found in RICE Chemotherapy

RICE is the abbreviation for the types of drugs it contains; Rituximab, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide. The Rituximab can be omitted from the chemotherapy treatment. However, the other three drugs are essential to the effectiveness of the treatment.

Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody drug that is used to treat specific types of cancer while causing very little damage to healthy cells. This particular drug recognizes the protein in certain B-cell lymphomas and then locks into it, kind of like a key. It is thought that this may be how the drug indicates to the body to fight the cancer cells. Some healthy cells may be damaged but the normal, healthy cells will be able to recover.

What to Expect During Treatment

It can be pretty intimidating before your first treatment. And, while your doctor will discuss everything with you, you may forget a few details. While things can be different for each patient, there are a few things that you can expect from treatment, regardless of your condition or severity.

Your doctor should give you a blood test before you actually start treatment. This is to ensure that your kidneys and other organs are functioning properly. The blood test may be done a few days before your first treatment but it could be done as late as the actual day of your first treatment. Your doctor will decide when to do your blood work.

A plastic tube will be inserted either into your arm or near your collarbone to administer the chemotherapy drugs. They may decide to insert what is known as a PICC line, which will stay inside of your body until your chemotherapy treatments are done. If a PICC line is inserted, your doctor and nurse will discuss with you the proper care procedures that you will need to follow while it is in. This will help minimize any potential risks of having the line in.

Before your chemotherapy drugs are given, you are likely to receive anti-nausea drugs. These will probably be given through your PICC line or IV. However, it may be offered to you in the form of a pill. It is intended to help you avoid serious nausea that can often occur with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy treatments generally last a couple of hours. They can, however, take longer if you happen to have a reaction to the drugs. Reactions are most common with rituximab, which will be stopped and then restarted, if you should start showing any kind of allergic reaction to the drug. This will cause your chemotherapy treatment time to take longer. After all the drugs are completed and you feel ready to go, you will be able to return home.

Your doctor may prescribe anti-nausea drugs for you to take home. You should take these exactly as they are directed, whether you are feeling sick or not. Some of the drugs given for nausea are designed to help keep nausea away. However, these types of drugs may not do so well at stopping the nausea once it starts, especially if you have not been taking your medication regularly.

The frequency of your treatment will be determined by your doctor. There are three different schedules that your doctor can follow for your treatment cycles. A number of factors will be considered by your doctor, including the type and aggressiveness of your cancer.

Side Effects of RICE Chemotherapy

The side effects of chemotherapy are the one of the big reasons that many people are intimidated. It is important to keep in mind, however, that every person is different. Therefore, you must realize that the side effects that you experience during chemotherapy are likely to be slightly different than what someone else you know might have experienced. Try to stay positive and simply be aware of the potential side effects possible with chemotherapy. Know what to do and how to reduce your risk for certain side effects as well. This will help you feel less intimidated by the chemotherapy treatment before it starts.

The most frequent side effects experienced with RICE chemotherapy include nausea and vomiting. This is why the anti-nausea drugs are given. If you take them according to the instructions, you may be able to greatly reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. Some individuals are able to prevent nausea and vomiting altogether. Just be aware that the anti-nausea drugs can cause constipation. This is something you should talk to your doctor about immediately.

You should also be aware that, during chemotherapy treatments, your immune system will be weakened. This is because your white blood cell count is decreased by the chemotherapy drugs. Generally, low white blood cell count will start around the seventh day of your treatment. It reaches its lowest around 10 to 14 days after treatment starts. Once you pass the two week time period, your blood cells should start to increase. They will eventually, after all of your cycles are completed, go back to normal.