COMPLETE Guide For Chemotherapy Effects and It's Treatment

DCF Chemotherapy

Cancer and Chemotherapy are inter-related as to treat any kind of cancer chemotherapy is the most widely used mode to treatment. But before going in for chemotherapy you need to know thoroughly the side effects that are associated with chemotherapy.

Are combination drugs more effective compared to single drug chemotherapy?

Various drugs are used for the treatment of cancer. Single drug chemotherapy i.e. only one drug is used for treating cancer and sometimes more than one drug is used to treat cancer, depending up the kind of cancer and the stage of cancer these drugs are used. The use of combinations drugs has shown better results than the use of single drug.

To treat cancer of head and neck the use of DCF chemotherapy i.e. use of a combination of three drugs cisplatin, docetaxel and fluorouracil (5-FU). Previously DCF chemotherapy used only two drugs in combination i.e. cisplatin along with docetaxel or docetaxel along with fluorouracil (5-FU). DCF mode of treatment for head and neck cancer is a neo-adjuvant kind of chemotherapy which can be used in advanced stages also.

Three cycles make up this treatment which consists of use of docetaxel drug on the 1st day and the use of 5-FU and cisplatin from day 1 to day 4. This mode of treatment is used with a gap of three weeks. It has been noticed that radiotherapy if given after DCF chemotherapy gives better results.

Gastric cancer is treated using DCF chemotherapy and this treatment has been found to be more effective compared to only CF chemotherapy. Even though docetaxel has been found to be extensively used it has more toxic side effects than the use of other two drugs. Therefore the use of all the three drugs together not only is effective but the side effects is also less compared to the use of one drug only and the chances of survival is more.

What are the side effects associated with this mode of treatment?

As in all modes of cancer treatment this treatment also does carry with it a certain amount of side effects. Though there is a rest period after the first cycle of treatment i.e. there is a gap of three weeks after the first cycle and the same process is used for the successive two cycles also so that the patient has sufficient time to recover from any side effects.

The side effects that are associated are the same in almost all kinds of cancer treatment as the drugs used for treating cancer are known to be highly toxic by nature. These drugs are known not only to destroy the cancerous cells but even the normal cells or the healthy cells around the affected cancer cells. The side-effects are vomiting, loss of memory, nausea, headaches, hair loss, the decrease in the resistance power of the body, sour mouths, loss of appetite etc. But then not all patients suffer from the same level of side effects as this basically depends upon the health of the patient and the stage of cancer. The side effects are not permanent and tend to disappear after the treatment or the completion of the cycles.