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Chemotherapy for uterine cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Chemotherapy for uterine cancer is used to slow the growth of tumor cells and reduce the volume of neoplasm. Chemotherapy is used on the second, third and fourth degree of uterine cancer. Most often, the patient is affected by endometrial cancer, i.e., adenocarcinoma, less common with leiocarcinoma. Chemotherapy is used as a separate treatment, and in combination with other therapeutic methods, which increase the percentage of survival after cancer.
As a rule, chemotherapy for uterine cancer is used after removal of the organ. Antineoplastic agents prevent relapse and metastasis. When treating the cancer of the uterus of the second stage, not only the uterus and appendages are removed, but also the surrounding lymph nodes in which metastases can be. For the conduct of chemotherapy, most often used drugs such as: Carboplatinum, Doxorubicin, Cisplatinum and others. Drugs are administered intravenously or taken by mouth. At the last method of taking drugs, cancer cells are destroyed through the systemic bloodstream. But chemotherapy is applied only when other methods do not give the desired result. This is because chemotherapy causes many side effects.
- To date, there are many drugs that have antitumor activity and are used in chemotherapy. Despite the fact that the drugs have different active substances, they all work in a similar mechanism of action.
- Some drugs have a narrow spectrum of action or are used to treat 1-2 types of cancer. Chemotherapy for cancer of the uterus can reduce the size of the tumor, destroy cancer cells and prevent metastasis, and improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
Chemotherapy is carried out by courses, from 1 week, with interruptions per month. The duration of treatment depends on the stage of cancer and the age of the patient. The whole process of chemotherapy is carried out in a hospital, under the supervision of medical personnel and oncologists who regularly take tests and monitor the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
[Chemotherapy for cervical cancer
Chemotherapy for cervical cancer - is a method of treating a malignant tumor. The peculiarity of this cancer is that the cancer can germinate in the pelvic organs, affect the regional lymph nodes and give distant metastases. Before the chemotherapy, the doctor selects medicines with the antitumor effect individually for the patient. At the same time, special attention is paid to the stage of cancer, the size of the tumor, the general condition of the patient and the degree of involvement of the surrounding tissues. Chemotherapy can be used as a separate treatment for cervical cancer or before / after surgery.
Modern chemotherapy drugs that are used in cervical cancer, selectively act on cancer cells. This allows you to make the treatment effective and significantly reduce the percentage of side effects. The main indications for chemotherapy in cervical cancer:
- Type of cancer with increased sensitivity to chemotherapy (this is determined by histological analysis and biopsy).
- Chemotherapy is performed with tumors of large sizes. In this case, the task of chemotherapy reduces neoplasms for subsequent surgical intervention.
- Chemotherapy is performed with inoperable and metastatic stages of cervical cancer, when there is no possibility of radical tumor removal.
The only drawback of chemotherapy is side effects. The appearance of side effects is due to the fact that antitumor drugs disrupt metabolic processes, slowing the growth and division of cancer cells. But under the influence of chemotherapy drugs and healthy cells, which leads to temporary metabolic disorders. But the side effects of chemotherapy are not apparent in all patients. Their degree and severity depends on the individual characteristics of the patient's body. More often in patients with cervical cancer during chemotherapeutic treatment, there are such side effects as:
- Temporary impairment of the production of leukocytes and a decrease in the protective functions of the body.
- Disorders of erythrocyte production and the appearance of anemia. The level of erythrocytes is restored during the interruption of the course of chemotherapy.
- Due to a decrease in platelet count, there is a tendency to bruising and bleeding, as the process of blood clotting is impaired.
- Many patients suffer from inflammation of the oral mucosa and irritation of the intestinal mucosa.
- Some chemopreparations provoke hair loss. But hair growth is restored a few months after the end of the course of chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy for uterine cancer causes a violation of reproductive functions. The opportunity to have children is restored after treatment with additional therapy.