Cancer Drug Treatment

There have been numerous advances in cancer research and study over the past few years and survival rates for a variety of cancers have been dramatically improved thanks to the development of cancer drug treatment. Whilst the battle to find a cure for cancer rages on in medical establishments around the world, pharmaceutical companies are furthering the development of effective drugs to help prolong the life of cancer patients and help reduce the risk of fatality following the initial surgical procedures.

Cancer drug treatment has come in leaps and bounds particularly in the new millennium with advances such as Exemestane and Tamoxifen. Whilst Tamoxifen was originally the drug of choice for breast cancer sufferers who had already undergone menopause it is now being replaced at around the third year of use by Exemestane one of the newest cancer drug treatments. Tamoxifen is still the gold standard current cancer drug treatment but long term use has associated side effects that can be very serious. These side effects include cancer of the womb and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Exemestane therefore steps in about the third year of Tamoxifen use to avoid these symptoms occurring and has shown significant survival rate increases all on its own. Exemestane typically has very few or very mild side effects with the most serious being high blood pressure. If you are undergoing Exemestane treatment your blood pressure will be checked regularly because of this.

Cancer drug treatment has allowed thousands of men and women to live longer and cope with their condition or even eradicate it with surgery and the appropriate drug treatment. It is expected that Exemestane cancer drug treatment will save at least one thousand lives per year with women switching to the drug after 33 years of treatment on Tamoxifen.

Most cancers will be treated with Chemotherapy which is still even now an experimental treatment that can have drastic side effects. Patients will often undergo surgery/chemotherapy and then have after treatment cancer drugs for many years afterwards. These cancer drug treatments are used not only to slow down the cancer but also to help alleviate the symptoms of cancer.  

24 Hour Addiction Treatment & Intervention Assistance

There have also been tremendous advances in Lung Cancer treatment with the new drug Tarceva announced in December 2008 that will be used to treat non small cell lung cancer. This drug will be used to treat patients who have not responded to the first chemotherapy drug used for cancer patients effectively giving them a second option and a second chance at successful treatment.