Chemotherapy Pills

When most people think of chemotherapy, they think of IV injections. However, there are actually some types of chemotherapy that are given in the form of a pill. Chemotherapy pills can be given with or in place of intravenous chemotherapy drugs. The type of treatment chosen by your doctor will be based upon the most recent medical research, the type of cancer you have, and the aggressiveness of your tumor or cancer.

Types of Chemotherapy Pills

Different types of chemotherapy pills are used for different types of cancer. This is one of the main factors that your doctor will consider before choosing which type of chemotherapy pill you should take. Your doctor will choose the type of chemotherapy pill that has the best chances of killing the cancer cells in your body. Not all chemotherapy drugs are available in the form of a pill. Because of this, you should be aware that there may not be a pill to take for the type of cancer you have.

Each pill contains a different type of drug and all pills are classified by the drugs they contain. Alkalating agents include the drugs chlorambucil, cisplatin, carboplatin, buslfan, and carboplatin. While found in most chemotherapy pills, are much stronger in some chemotherapy pills. Pills that contain higher doses of alkalating agents are generally used to treat the most commonly occurring cancers like ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma cancers.

Antimetabolits are used to slow down DNA and RNA growth. They are generally used to treat certain types of cancer, like ovarian cancer, leukemia, gastrointestinal cancer, and breast cancer. Antimetabolites are generally used during the early stages of cancer. Included in this group of drugs is pemetrexed, 6-mercaptopurine, 5-flurouacil, gemcitabine, and cytabrine.

Nitrosoureas include the drugs streptozocin, carmustine, and lomustine. These drugs are generally used as a follow-up drug to alkalating agents. They work to prevent cancer regrowth by preventing enzymes in the body from repairing DNA cells that have been damaged by the alkalating agents. This type of chemotherapy drug travels through the bloodstream very quickly and is often used for cancers of the brain. However, they are often used to treat skin cancer as well.

How are Chemotherapy Pills Taken?

There are two basic types of chemotherapy pills; sublingual and oral. Oral chemotherapy pills are coated in a protective layer. Once they are taken and reach the stomach, the acid in the stomach starts to eat away at the coating and then absorbs the pill. The pill is then disbursed into the bloodstream of the body. Coating thickness varies from one pill to the next. This affects the rate at which the pill is absorbed into the body.
Sublingual pills are placed underneath the tongue where they dissolve. As the pills dissolve, they go directly into the bloodstream, making these types of chemotherapy pills very fast acting.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy Pills

Just like intravenous chemotherapy, there are some side effects that can occur with chemotherapy pills. Nausea and vomiting are often the most common side effects experienced with any type of chemotherapy. Anti-nausea drugs are often given to help reduce the nausea experienced while taking chemotherapy drugs. It is important that you take these as instructed to help prevent nausea before it happens. Other possible side effects can include hand and foot problems, heart toxicity, diarrhea, and hair loss.

Chemotherapy Pills vs. Intravenous Chemotherapy

A recent study done performed by the University of Texas compared intravenous chemotherapy and chemotherapy pills. They looked at the drug effectiveness at killing the cancer as well as the severity of the most commonly experienced side effects.

Researchers found that nearly all side effects commonly experienced with intravenous chemotherapy were decreased by taking the chemotherapy pills. The only side effect that was found to be more commonly in patients that were administered the chemotherapy pills was hand and foot problems like burning, tingling, soreness, and redness. Unlike many other side effects often experienced with intravenous chemotherapy, this side effect is not life threatening and rarely has permanent effect on the body.

The speed and efficacy of intravenous chemotherapy has long been an issue in the medical field. Intravenous chemotherapy can be unpredictable and erratic. And, while oral chemotherapy patients did not receive a higher survivability rate, they did experience a faster-shrinking tumor. This is thought to be attributed to the more targeted effect of the chemotherapy pills. There was also a higher chance that the pill would actually shrink the tumor effectively.

When comparing the two together, it is quite evident that the pill form of chemotherapy may become more widely used. However, because of the limited number of drugs that can be given in the form of a pill, intravenous chemotherapy will still exist.

Chemotherapy Definition

Cancer is a pretty scary word. So is the word chemotherapy. It is natural for you to have feelings of fear, despair, and helplessness. You are facing an illness that could be life-threatening. You are about to receive a treatment that we hear so much negative about. You are facing the unknown and that is always scary.

What you should know is that chemotherapy has been extensively researched. Cancers of all types have also been carefully examined to help researchers determine the most effective treatment types to fight the cancer cells. Because different types of cancers react differently to different types of research, you should know that your doctor will only recommend chemotherapy if it is absolutely needed. And, while there are no guarantees with cancer, following your doctor’s orders and receiving chemotherapy can increase your chances at survival.

What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy, quite simply, is the use of drugs to treat a disease or condition. The most common condition that chemotherapy is used to treat is cancer. However, there are other conditions that are autoimmune in nature, like lupus. It has also been used to treat arthritis.

How Chemotherapy Works

Cancer happens when cells within the body divide, forming more cells at a rate that is abnormal. The cells are unable to stop dividing and eventually create a tumor. Chemotherapy works by stopping the division of the cells. If the cells are unable to divide, they die. While chemotherapy attempts to cause the least amount of damage possible, healthy cells are somewhat damaged during chemotherapy but, because they are healthy, they are able to recover from the treatment. Cancer cells, as long as the treatment is effective, are unable to reproduce.

Generally, cell division happens in cycles. This is why chemotherapy is often given in rounds. By treating the body at different intervals, the chemotherapy has the best chance at fighting the cancerous cells and putting your cancer into remission. It is important to realize that cancer can and sometimes does return. Your doctor should talk to you about your prognosis and what your chances are of beating the cancer for good.

Types of Chemotherapy

Not all chemotherapy drugs are the same. There are many different drugs used, each coming from a different source. There are six different groups of chemotherapy, each being used for a different type of cancer. You should also understand the difference between cell-specific and non-cell-specific drugs. Cell-specific chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells while they are actually dividing. Non-specific chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells while they are at rest. The type of chemotherapy used will depend on how the type of tumor you have divides and spreads.

Topoisomerase inhibitors are used to stop DNA replication that occurs in certain types of cancers. There are two different types of Topoisomerase inhibitors: Topoisomerase I inhibitors include the drugs ironotecan and topotecan. Topoisomerase II inhibitors include the drugs amasacrine, etoposide, etoposide phosphate, and teniposide.

Antitumor antibiotics are chemotherapy drugs that come from certain species of fungus. These drugs are used to act during many different phases of cell cycle and target only the cancer cells. There are three different types of antitumor antibiotics: anathracyclines, which include doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, mitoxantrone, and idarubicin; chromomycins, which include dactinomycin and plicamycin; and miscellaneous antitumor antibiotics which include mitomycin and bleomycin. 

Antimetabolites are considered cell-specific and attack during specific cell-cycle phases. These chemotherapy drugs contain substances that are very similar to substances already contained within the cells and they are classified according to the substance that they contain. There are four different types. Folic acid antagonists include only the drug methotrexate. Pyrimidine antagonists include the drugs 5-fluorouracil, foxuridine, cytarabine, capecitabine, and gemcitabine. Purine antagonists include 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine. Adenosine deaminase inhibitors include cladribine, fludarabine, nelarabine, and pentostatin.

Alkylating agents do most of their work during the cells’ resting phase. They are not cell-specific. Alkylating agents are grouped by the materials they contain. Mustard gas derivatives include mechlorethamine, cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, melphalan, and ifosfamide. Ethylenimines include thiotepa and hexamethylmelamine. Alkylsufonates only include the drug busulfan. Hydrazines and triazines include the drugs altretamine, procarbazine, dacarbazine, and temozolomide. Nitrosureas include the drugs carmustine, lomustine, and streptozocin. Metal salts include carboplatin, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin.

Plant alkaloids are derived from specific types of plants. These are cell-specific chemotherapy drugs. There are four different types of plant alkaloid chemotherapy drugs. Vinca alkaloids, which are derived from the periwinkle plant, include the drugs vincristine, vinblastine, and vinorebline. Taxanes, which are derived from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree, includes the drugs paclitaxel and docetaxel. Podophyllotoxins, which are derived from the May apple plant, includes the drugs etoposide and tenisopide. Camptothecan analogs, which are derived from the camptotheca acuminate, otherwise known as the Asian “Happy Tree,” includes the drugs Irinotecan and topotecan.

Why are There Different Types of Chemotherapy?

As mentioned, different types of cancer react differently to different types of cancer treatment. This is why there are many different types of chemotherapy. The different types of chemotherapy contain different types of drugs that fight against specific types of cancers. Some cancers do not respond to chemotherapy. Others are chemo sensitive and respond only to chemotherapy. Others only respond to certain types of chemotherapy drugs. Your doctor will consider the type and severity of your cancer to determine which type of treatment and chemotherapy is best for you.