Many cancer patients receive chemotherapy as part of their cancer treatment. During treatment, patients complete several cycles of medication, allowing the drugs to enter and kill cancer cells throughout the body. The specific action of chemo drugs within the cell ranges depending on the drug administered, and the method of administration ranges as well, with some drugs taken intravenously and other drugs taken orally. Many patients receive oral chemotherapy--chemotherapy drugs in the form of tablets--to help fight their disease.
Chlorambucil
One type of chemotherapy tablet is chlorambucil, also marketed under the name Leukoran. According to Cancer Care Ontario, chlorambucil is often used to treat leukemias and some forms of lymphoma--cancers affecting white blood cells. Chlorambucil is a brown-coated tablet taken orally along with water. In the body, chlorambucil acts as an alkylating agent, which means it attaches small chemicals called alkyl groups to molecules in the cell. Specifically, chlorambucil adds alkyl groups to cancer cell DNA, which prevent the cell from synthesizing new DNA--a required step in cell division. As a result, cancer cells exposed to chlorambucil cannot divide and eventually die, treating the cancer. Patients taking chlorambucil tablets may experience a number of side effects including signs of minor infection due to low white blood cell counts.
Capecitabine
Capecitabine, also called Xeloda, is another oral chemotherapy drug administered as a tablet. It is most often used for advanced-stage metastatic cancers, such as cancers of the breast, colon or rectum. Capecitabine acts as an antimetabolite in cancer cells--it prevents the formation of specific chemicals required for cell division. According to ChemoCare.com, capecitabine works to prevent the formation of nucleotides called pyrimidines, which help make up the cell's DNA. Without the ability to generate nucleotides, the cell cannot divide and no longer survives. Patients taking oral capecitabine may experience side effects of treatment, including poor appetite, abdominal pain and dehydration.
Oral Cyclophosphamide
Another chemotherapy drug that can be administered as a tablet is cyclophosphamide. Like chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide acts as an alkylating agent within cancer cells, preventing the cell from dividing and eventually leading to cell death and tumor shrinkage. MayClinic.com indicates that oral cyclophosphamide is used to treat cancer of the ovary, nervous system, blood and lymph nodes, and the breast. During treatment, patients receiving oral cyclophosphamide may develop side effects from the drug, such as coughing, side or back pain, irregular periods in women and the development of fever or chills In rare cases, patients receiving the drug may develop more severe side effects, such as low blood cell counts, which may require additional treatment.
