Treatment with chemicals is one of the main ways to fight cancer. At present, many medicines with anticancer activity have been discovered in medicine. All of them are actively used to treat patients and are divided into several groups depending on the mechanism of action, composition and many other factors.
Thus, for example, chemotherapy can be divided by color. The color of each of them depends on the drugs that relate to it. Therefore, it is white, yellow, blue and, finally, red. Below we will talk about her.
What does red chemo mean?
First of all, you need to understand which drugs belong to this category.
The main drugs that are used as red chemotherapy:
- "Idarubicin".
- "Epirubicin".
- "Doxorubicin".
They all belong to the same therapeutic group, as they are similar in composition. In addition, these preparations have a characteristic bright redcolor.
That's why red chemo is also called the "devil" among patients.
This type of therapy can be used as the main method of treatment, as well as in the postoperative period in order to prevent new tumor growth.
Mechanism of action
The mechanism of action of these drugs is similar and is as follows:
- Cleavage of tumor cell DNA by the enzyme topoisomerase-2.
- In addition, these substances interfere with the transcription process - a mandatory stage for the full spread of a fatal tumor.
- "Epirubicin" is involved in some biochemical reactions of the body, contributing to the production of radicals that are toxic to malignant cells, thereby killing them.
Indications for use
Due to their high anti-cancer activity, the drugs have a wide range of indications, which include cancer:
- bladder,
- breast,
- stomach,
- esophagus,
- blood (acute leukemia),
- lung,
- ovaries,
- pancreas,
- prostate,
- rectum.
In addition, red chemotherapy drugs can be prescribed for neck and head cancer, as well as patients:
- with multiple myeloma,
- Hodgkin's disease,
- soft tissue sarcoma and so on.
Contraindications for use
Like any other drug, each of the representatives of red chemotherapy has a number of contraindications, which include:
- Severe depletion of the body. The fact is that these drugs have a number of side effects that can be especially harmful to a weak body.
- Intoxication. In this state, a person simply cannot withstand the additional load.
- Liver damage, cirrhosis, the presence of metastases in it, as well as high levels of bilirubin in the blood. Under these conditions, the liver will not be able to properly cope with the load in the form of red chemotherapy. And she, by the way, deals a serious blow to this vital organ.
These are contraindications common to all chemotherapy drugs.
Conditions in which the use of red chemotherapy is unacceptable will be as follows:
- Pregnancy at any time.
- Breastfeeding.
- Increased sensitivity to the components of the drug.
- Severe heart failure, severe arrhythmia.
- A patient with a recent history of myocardial infarction.
- When using the drug for the treatment of bladder cancer and intracavitary administration of a medicinal substance, contraindications include an infectious process in this organ (cystitis), as well as the presence of blood in the urine.
Side effects
Preparations of this group have high anticancer activity,but they also have a toxic effect on he althy cells and tissues of the human body. It is for this reason that they have a number of unwanted side effects.
- Lack of appetite.
- Loss of body weight.
- Hair loss all over the body.
- Temperature increase.
- Swelling and damage to the venous wall at the injection site.
- Decrease in the level of leukocytes, as well as platelets in the blood.
- Shortness of breath, palpitations.
- Development of heart failure.
- Ascites.
- Liver and kidney damage.
- Thromboembolism.
- Pulmonary embolism.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Stomatitis.
- Coloring urine bright red. This will mean that the drug has begun to be excreted from the body. Usually this symptom disappears after two days after using the remedy.
All of the listed side effects manifest themselves to varying degrees in each patient and do not always require the withdrawal of red chemotherapy.
Nevertheless, the body needs to be allowed to rest and recuperate. Therefore, after red chemotherapy, each course of it must have a break (an average of two weeks). During this time, the patient will be able to "walk away" from the side effects of the drug.
How is red chemo tolerated?
Everyone who has been prescribed this type of treatment by the attending oncologist, a similar question comes to mind. After all, it is very important to have an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat awaits a person with suchtreatment. And most importantly, what needs to be done to make it easier to survive the courses of the "red" dropper. Chemotherapy is an aggressive method of treatment, so you need to be as prepared as possible.
It should be de alt with in order. How the body will respond to this treatment is individual for each patient. However, everyone develops side effects to some degree. Someone just feels uneasy, there is a feeling of weakness and nausea, and someone has severe vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, hair loss.
In order to minimize the effects of red chemotherapy, oncologists advise the following:
- The patient should lead a measured life, a lot of rest. Sleep is known to be the best medicine. It is important to be outside regularly. Take daily walks whenever possible.
- Be sure to drink plenty of fluids. An adult needs at least two liters of water a day. This will help the body to clear metabolites faster, and also reduce the burden on the kidneys.
- It is necessary to maintain proper nutrition, excluding fatty, sweet, spicy and smoked foods from the diet. In addition, you should consume proteins, greens, vegetables and fruits daily. It is also important to eat fractionally and regularly. This will help the gastrointestinal tract deal with the intake of chemicals faster.
- Be sure to have a hearty breakfast orhave lunch. It is unacceptable to carry out the procedure on an empty stomach. This can greatly increase the severity of side effects.
- No less important is the patient's morale. At least 50% of success depends on this. If a person believes in a positive outcome, then he will definitely be like that.
Medication support
Since red chemotherapy is quite difficult to endure, treating oncologists resort to drugs that can alleviate the patient's condition after a course of chemo:
- Probiotics ("Hilak forte", "Linex", "Acipol" and others). Since the digestive tract is the first to suffer, taking the brunt of chemistry, it is necessary to protect it. These drugs populate the damaged intestine with new beneficial bacteria.
- Hepatoprotectors ("Heptor", "Phosphogliv", "Heptral" and others). These products are effective in repairing liver cells, supporting he althy functioning.
- Painkillers ("Ibuprofen", "Dexalgin", "Tramadol"). The drugs of this group differ from each other in strength of action and may not be prescribed by a doctor at all if the patient does not complain of pain.
- In addition, recently, oncologists have begun to prescribe various useful biological additives that can alleviate the patient's condition. For example, there is soy lecithin. It protects the cells of the liver, blood vessels and brain from the destructive effects of drugs. Reishi mushroom extract helpsundergo chemotherapy. Selenium prevents the further development of a malignant tumor.
It should be said that any of these remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor.
Conclusion
Red chemotherapy is an effective method of fighting cancer, not without a number of contraindications and unwanted side reactions from the patient's body.
Proper and timely preparation for chemistry can minimize its consequences. Stay he althy!
