|  | Cancer | Chemotherapy

What Is Aggressive Chemotherapy?

Cancer is often treated with certain drugs via a medical procedure called chemotherapy. Chemo drugs might be used before or after cancer surgery. They are delivered in combination with Xray radiation treatment, by pill or by IV or injection.

  1. Aggressive Chemotherapy

    • With some cancers, aggressive chemotherapy is called for, which means administering one or a combination of the most powerful drugs available. While effective in killing cancerous cells, it can also damage healthy cells.

    Side Effects

    • The more aggressive the chemotherapy, the more severe the potential side effects can be. Too much chemotherapy can kill the patient. Success is found in the ability to balance cancer cell destruction with preserving as many healthy ones as possible.

    Study

    • A multi-university study led by Barbara Asselin, M.D., of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, concluded aggressive chemotherapy reduces deaths in childhood leukemia by 37 percent.

    Solution

    • The Asselin-led study devised an experimental regimen for childhood leukemia that included the aggressive administration of anti-cancer drugs methotrexate, asparaginase, and doxorubicin at up to five times the usual dosage for months instead of weeks to achieve the 37 percent improvement. This is a notable improvement over traditional levels of chemotherapy in treating this especially deadly cancer.

    Famous Ties

    • Actor Patrick Swayze's regimen for advanced pancreatic cancer included both aggressive chemotherapy and an experimental drug, vatalinib, intended to cut off the blood supply to the cancerous cells. Unfortunately, the late stage discovery of the disease in Swayze did not respond to even aggressive chemotherapy. Early detection is key.

Chemotherapy - Related Articles