Read article Chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma and their side effects
This page tells you about the chemotherapy drugs used to treat mesothelioma. There is information about
Chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma and their side effects
The most commonly used combination of chemotherapy drugs for pleural mesothelioma is pemetrexed and cisplatin. Other combinations or individual drugs may be used, including carboplatin, raltitrexed, mitomycin, vinorelbine and gemcitabine. For peritoneal mesothelioma, pemetrexed and cisplatin is the most common combination. Other drugs that may be used are irinotecan, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and gemcitabine.
Side effects
All chemotherapy drugs have side effects. Drugs affect people in different ways. Not everyone has the same side effects with the same drug. Some people have very few side effects at all. There are some side effects that are quite common with many chemotherapy drugs. These are
- A fall in the number of blood cells
- Feeling and being sick
- Diarrhoea
- Sore mouth and mouth ulcers
- Hair loss or thinning
- Feeling tired and run down
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating mesothelioma section.
The most commonly used combination of chemotherapy drugs for pleural mesothelioma is pemetrexed and cisplatin. Sometimes pemetrexed is combined with carboplatin. Other combinations or individual drugs may be used, including
- Raltitrexed (Tomudex) - usually in combination with cisplatin
- Vinorelbine
- Gemcitabine
For peritoneal mesothelioma, cisplatin and pemetrexed given into a vein is the most common combination. But one or more of the following drugs may be used
All chemotherapy drugs have side effects. Drugs affect people in different ways though and some people have very few side effects. It is not possible to tell how you will react until you have had a particular drug. It is important to remember that side effects are temporary. They will usually go away when your treatment is finished. All the drugs have different side effects. You can ask your doctor or nurse which side effects are most common with the chemotherapy drugs you will have.
Some side effects are quite common with many chemotherapy drugs and these include
- A fall in the number of blood cells
- Feeling and being sick
- Diarrhoea
- A sore mouth and mouth ulcers
- Hair loss or hair thinning
- Feeling tired and run down
The links above take you to information about coping with these side effects in the main chemotherapy section of CancerHelp UK.
Drugs used in trials for peritoneal mesothelioma include
- Cisplatin and doxorubicin
- Heated cisplatin and mitomycin
- Mitomycin on its own
- Fluorouracil and paclitaxel
The side effects of chemotherapy into the abdomen tend to be less than with chemotherapy into a vein. But some people have changes in blood pressure and heart rate during the chemotherapy procedure. Some people also have a high temperature. The changes normally go back to normal a few hours after the treatment.
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