ICE Chemotherapy
What is ICE chemotherapy?
"Non-Hodgkin-lymphoma" is another chemotherapy treatment which is also known as ICE. The name ICE stands for the drugs used in this treatment i.e. ifosfamide, caroplatin and lastly etoposide, taking the first alphabet from each of the above mentioned drug ICE.
Though this treatment is carried out in the hospital itself it is a short time treatment, the patient has to undergo this treatment before going in for other blood tests. If the blood tests show normal then and only then do the pharmaceutical companies go ahead to prepare chemotherapy drugs as all this depends upon the blood reports. IN this mode of treatment the drugs are administered into the body with the help of a thin plastic tube that is inserted under the skin directly into the vein very close to the collarbone. This thin tube can also be inserted into the vein of the arm also. This mode of treatment is painful but then as it is for a short duration of time the patient has to bear with the uncomfortable feeling.
Due to the administration of these drugs you may feel sick; to prevent this you are administered with anti-sickness drugs which are injected into the body with the help of the drip. There are very few drugs that can be taken orally to prevent anti-drug sickness. Chemotherapy drugs are administered but only one by one. Ifosfamide is known to irritate the bladder lining which may result in bleeding and to prevent this "mesna" is mixed or added to ifosfamide. Mesna is also given in the form of tablets. Taking this medicine as per the instruction is very important.
If cannula is administered then you can always take anti-sickness medication ones you return home provided you follow the instructions as some of these drugs help stop the sickness but then they cannot stop the sickness if it has already started.
As each and every person has a different body constituency the mode of treatment and the effects of treatment vary from person to person, so does the side effects vary from person to person.
Side effects that have been commonly noticed in almost all the patients are low resistance power to fight against other diseases, vomiting, hair loss, bleeding, loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness etc. Some patients have shown short term side effects like diarrhea, loss of taste in the mouth, sleepiness or drowsiness, loss of balance, moving about in a dazed or confused manner. Though most of the side effects wear off after some time there are some that leave a permanent effect like women may lose the capacity to get pregnant, damage of the kidneys etc.
When the drug Etoposide is administered it has been found that you may feel pain in the vein, if so you need to inform the doctor or the nurse so that they can take precautionary steps.
Research is on to find drugs that give faster relief to patients at the same time reduce the side effects due to the administration of such powerful drugs.