New Chemotherapy Drugs for Esophageal Cancer

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One of the ways of treatment for esophageal cancer is chemotherapy by which the drugs are used to kill the cancer cells. But frequently used treatment is the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Different types of chemotherapy such as single agent and combination chemotherapy is used.

The older single agents include bleomycin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) which is given by continuous infusion or bolus, mitomycin and cisplatin have the single agent response rates ranging from 10% to 20%. Carboplatin in turn has a lower single agent response rate in both squamous cell carcinoma and adeno carcinoma though the carboplatin based combination regimens appear similar to cisplatin combinations.

Many type of chemotherapeutic agents are being used for treating esophageal cancer and among these the most successful drugs are 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin (platinol-AQ), mitomycin (mutamycin), paclitaxel (taxol, oncol) , docetaxel (taxotere), vindesine (eldisine), vinorelbine (navelbine), irinotecan (camptosar).

A new platinum analog Oxaliplatin has not been evaluated as a single agent in esophageal cancer, but 5-FU and Capecitabine in combination with Oxaliplatin have been evaluated in phase 2 and 3 trials. The alkaloids vindesine and vinorelbine have significant hematologic toxicity with grade 3 and 4 neutropenia seen in 59% of patients.

Another active single agent in esophageal cancer, paclitaxel was used in combination chemotherapy. Docetaxel has been evaluated in esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma at the doses of 70-100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The topoisomerase1 inhibitor etoposide has been studied in both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma with response rates ranging from 0-90%.

The drugs are not only used individually but also in combinations. ECF is one of the most common drug combinations used by the doctors to treat adeno carcinomas of the esophagus. It contains the drugs epirubicin, cisplatin and 5-FU. For squamous cell cancer in esophagus, a common combination of drugs given is cisplatin and 5-FU.

Platinum based drugs such as carboplatin (paraplatin) and cisplatin (platinol-AQ) are used for treating advanced disease. The antibiotics such as mitomycin is used to treat esophageal cancer while anti metabolite such as 5-FU is used in combination to treat carcinomas. There are various side effects produced due to all these chemotherapeutic drugs.

When the chemotherapeutic drugs are taken by mouth or injected into the vein or muscles, the drugs can enter the blood stream and can reach the cancer cells which are present throughout the body which can be called as systemic chemotherapy. When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect the cancer cells that are present mainly in those areas. This method is called regional chemotherapy.

Though these chemotherapy drugs are used as a cure, it also has disadvantages and side effects. The side effects such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, kidney or lung damage, edema or swelling, nausea, constipation, low blood count, visual impairment, vomiting, headache, confusion, nose bleed, fever, insomnia, dizziness, nerve damage, heart damage, breathing problems, blood clots, rashes, hair loss etc may occur.

Natural Remedies:
There are certain natural remedies that offer a promising cure for esophageal cancer. Along with the natural remedies and a well-researched different diet pattern, a few simple adjustments to your lifestyle can make a huge difference to your efforts for prolonging the life for several years. You can increase your chances of surviving esophagus cancer now by trying these proven natural remedies discussed here



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