■Amsacrine
■Bleomycin
■Busulfan
■Capecitabine - Xeloda (CAPECITABINE) is the only FDA-approved oral chemotherapy for both metastatic breast cancer and adjuvant and metastatic colorectal cancer. Inactive in pill form, Xeloda is enzymatically activated within the body; when it comes into contact with a naturally occurring protein called thymidine phosphorylase, or TP, Xeloda is transformed into 5-FU, a cytotoxic (cell-killing) drug. Because many cancers have higher levels of TP than does normal tissue, more 5-FU is delivered to the tumor than to other tissue.
A drug used to treat stage III colon cancer in patients who had surgery to remove the cancer. It is also used to treat metastatic breast cancer that has not improved after treatment with certain other anticancer drugs. Xeloda is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. It is taken up by cancer cells and breaks down into 5-fluorouracil, a substance that kills tumor cells. Xeloda is a type of antimetabolite. Also called capecitabine.
■Carboplatin
■Carmustine
■Chlorambucil - Leukeran (Chlorambucil) belongs to a group of medicines called anti-neoplastic agents. Within this group, Chlorambucil belongs to a class of medicines called alkylating agents.
■Cisplatin
■Cladribine
■Clofarabine
■Crisantaspase
Cancers treated with Cytoxan include: Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML), acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), t-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides), multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma; breast, testicular, endometrial, ovarian, and lung cancers, and in conditioning regimens for bone marrow transplantation.
■Cytarabine
■Dacarbazine
■Dactinomycin
■Daunorubicin
■Docetaxel
■Doxorubicin
■Epirubicin
■Etoposide - Etoposide is a chemotherapy drug that is given as a treatment for some types of cancer. It is most commonly used to treat lung, ovarian and testicular cancer. This information describes etoposide, how it is given and some of its possible side effects. It should ideally be read with our general information about chemotherapy and about your type of cancer, which give more information and advice.
■Fludarabine
■Fluorouracil - Fluorouracil, which is also called 5FU, is a chemotherapy drug that is given as a treatment for some types of cancer, including bowel, breast, stomach, and gullet (oesophagus) cancer. This information describes 5FU, how it is given and some of its possible side effects. It should ideally be read with our general information about chemotherapy and about your type of cancer, which give further information and advice.
■Gemcitabine
■Gliadel implants
■Hydroxycarbamide - HYDROXYUREA (hye drox ee yoor EE a) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat certain leukemias, skin cancer, head and neck cancer, and advanced ovarian cancer. It is also used to control the painful crises of sickle cell anemia. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.
■Idarubicin
■Ifosfamide
■Irinotecan
■Leucovorin
■Liposomal daunorubicin
■Liposomal doxorubicin
■Lomustine
■Melphalan
■Mercaptopurine
■Mesna
■Methotrexate - Methotrexate interferes with the growth of certain cells of the body, especially cells that reproduce quickly, such as cancer cells, bone marrow cells, and skin cells.
Methotrexate is used to treat certain types of cancer of the breast, skin, head and neck, or lung. Methotrexate is also used to treat severe psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Methotrexate is usually given after other medications have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.
■Mitomycin
■Mitotane
■Mitoxantrone
■Oxaliplatin
■Paclitaxel
■Pemetrexed
■Pentostatin
■Procarbazine
■Raltitrexed
■Rasburicase
■Satraplatin
■Streptozocin
■Tegafur-uracil
■Temozolomide
■Teniposide
■Thiotepa
■Tioguanine
■Topotecan
■Treosulfan
■Vinblastine
■Vincristine
■Vindesine
■Vinorelbine
Biological therapy
Biological therapies use substances that occur naturally in the body to destroy cancer cells. There are several types of biological therapy, including: monoclonal antibodies, cancer growth inhibitors, vaccines and gene therapy.
Monoclonal antibodies are drugs that can 'recognise' and find specific cells in the body. They can be designed to find a particular type of cancer cell, attach itself to them and destroy them. They can also carry a radioactive molecule, which then delivers radiation directly to the cancer cells.
Cancer growth inhibitors interfere with the way cancer cells use 'chemical messengers' to help the cell to develop and divide.
Research is trying to see whether vaccines and gene therapy can be given to treat a cancer that has come back or has spread. Vaccines may also be able to reduce the chance of a cancer coming back, but this type of research is in the very early stages.
Defining cancer
Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start -- for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.
Cancer types can be grouped into broader categories. The main categories of cancer include:
•Carcinoma - cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.
•Sarcoma - cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.
•Leukemia - cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.
•Lymphoma and myeloma - cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.
•Central nervous system cancers - cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.
Origins of cancer
All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells.
The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.
However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.
Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.
•Benign tumors aren't cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
•Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.
Some cancers do not form tumors. For example, leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.
