Read article Chemotherapy drugs for soft tissue sarcoma
This page is about the drugs used to treat soft tissue sarcoma. There is information about
Chemotherapy drugs for soft tissue sarcomas
The most commonly used chemotherapy drugs for soft tissue sarcomas are doxorubicin and ifosfamide. All chemotherapy drugs have side effects. The side effects you get will depend on which drugs you have, how much of the drugs you have and your own individual reaction. Lower down this page there is information about the different chemotherapy drugs and links to information about their possible side effects.
Common side effects of chemotherapy include
- A drop in your blood cell counts, causing an increased risk of infection, anaemia and sometimes bleeding problems (nosebleeds, heavy periods, a rash of dark red spots)
- Feeling or being sick
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Sore mouth
- Hair thinning or hair loss
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating soft tissue sarcoma cancer section.
Many different drugs are used to treat soft tissue sarcomas. You may have a combination of drugs or a single drug. You should be given written information about the drugs you will have by your chemotherapy nurse or doctor. The most common drug used for soft tissue sarcoma is called doxorubicin. You may have doxorubicin with another chemotherapy drug called ifosfamide.
You usually have ifosfamide with another drug called MESNA. This is not a chemotherapy drug. It stops the ifosfamide from irritating your bladder and causing bleeding. Doctors call this side effect haemorrhagic cystitis.
Other drugs that your specialist may suggest include
All chemotherapy drugs have side effects. Not everyone has every side effect. Some people have very few side effects. Others have far more. Unfortunately, we can’t tell beforehand who will have trouble with side effects and who won’t. The side effects you get will depend on
- Which drugs you have
- The dose you have
- Your own individual reactions to the treatment
It is important to remember that these side effects are temporary, and that there are effective ways of controlling or reducing them.
Common side effects include
- A drop in your blood cell counts, causing an increased risk of infection, anaemia and sometimes bleeding problems (nosebleeds, heavy periods, a rash of dark red spots)
- Feeling or being sick
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Sore mouth
- Hair thinning or hair loss
The links above take you to more information about these side effects and how to cope with them. Your doctor and nurse can help with any side effects you have. Anti-sickness treatments generally work very well and there are lots of different ones. If you are taking anti-sickness medicines and you still feel sick, tell your chemotherapy nurse or doctor. They will be able to give you something else that may work better for you. You can keep trying different anti-sickness drugs until you find one that works for you.
There is information about coping with chemo side effects in the main chemotherapy section of CancerHelp UK.
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