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Colon Cancer Stage 3 Drugs
Stopping the spread of stage 3 colon cancer
You have colon cancer stage 3. Your doctor says that you need chemotherapy. It is very frightening. But a lot can be done to fight the cancer. There are drugs to battle stage 3 cancer that could add months or years to your life. Doctors prescribe these anticancer drugs either separately or in combinations.
The drug treatments and side effects may be rough to take, but it is a battle to get rid of the cancer or slow it down. Your cancer doctor has knowledge of the latest aggressive drug treatments and their side effects. Here is an introduction to this topic.
A traditional colon cancer treatment option is:
- Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin) combined with
- Adrucil® (5-fluorouracil) and Wellcovorin® leucovorin
FDA approved this combination treatment for patients to use after surgical removal of the cancer. Eloxatin® contains a platinum metal complex that kills cancer cells. Adrucil® slows down and stops growth of cancer cells. Wellcovorin® is a vitamin complex that contains folic acid.
As with all colon cancer drugs, there may be unwanted side effects.Therefore, you must discuss the possible side effects of anticancer drugs with your doctor before taking these medicines.
Combinations of anticancer drugs such as:
- Xeloda® (capecitabine), which shrinks tumors,
- Camptosar® (irinotecan), which kills cancer cells, and
- Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin), which also kills cancers cells, have been linked to increased survival rates for colon cancer.
In one study, a combination treatment delayed the progress of the cancer by 10 months ().
- Erbitux® (cetuximab) shows promise for extending survival time in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. A six-month average survival time was observed in one study (). Erbitux interferes with growth of cancer cells.
- Vectibix® (panitumumab) works in a similar fashion to Erbitux®.
- Avastin® (bevacizumab) interferes with growth of cancer cells.
- Davanat® clinical trials show a six-month increase in survival time of patients receiving the drug. There seems to be fewer adverse side effects with this drug than with other treatments. Therefore Davanat can improve the quality of life of the colon cancer stage 3 patient.
Positive Effects
These medications are examples of anticancer drugs that can add months, maybe years to your life. This is called having a positive effect on survival time. Speak with your doctor about the medication options for colon cancer stage 3. He can explain recent clinical studies and the associated colon cancer survival statistics. Don't wait. Stop the spread of cancer now!
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