According to the Mayo Clinic, chemotherapy is a method that uses potent chemicals to destroy cancer cells of many different types of cancer. The chemotherapy drugs a doctor uses for a particular cancer patient depend on the type and stage of the cancer, the general health of the patient and whether or not the patient has had chemotherapy before. For many types of cancer, doctors have developed chemotherapy protocols employing a combination of drugs that effectively kill the cancer cells.
EC Chemotherapy
EC chemotherapy is a combination treatment for breast cancer which utilizes the drugs epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, explains Macmillan Cancer Support. A doctor administers the drugs separately through a vein in the patient's hand or arm, and the treatment protocol is performed on an outpatient basis. The patient first receives anti-nausea medication, usually through the intravenous line, and then both drugs are given as an infusion in salt water over the course of one hour. At the conclusion of the treatment, there is a rest period for three weeks, during which the patient does not get any chemotherapy. This completes one cycle of treatment, and the EC regimen normally includes four to six cycles and lasts for three to four months.
Patients most frequently experience the following side effects: impaired resistance to infection, anemia, bruising or bleeding, nausea, fatigue, hair loss and sore or dry mouth.
FOLFOX Regimen
According to CancerHelp UK, the FOLFOX regimen is a combination chemotherapy treatment for bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer. It includes the drugs folinic acid, fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. Folinic acid is a vitamin that enhances the activity of the drugs against the cancer cells. A doctor administers the drugs intravenously using a vein in the patient's arm or chest. On the first day, the patient receives folinic acid and oxaliplatin as an infusion over two hours. Fluorouracil is then administered, first as an injection and then as an infusion over 22 hours. On the second day, the patient receives another folinic acid infusion, followed by another 22-hour infusion of fluorouracil. On days 3 to 14, the patient receives no chemotherapy and at the end of the 14th day, one cycle is finished. The patient may get up to 12 cycles of treatment.
Common side effects of the FOLFOX regimen may include increased risk of infection, anemia, easy bruising and bleeding, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea and sore mouth.
MOPP Chemotherapy
The MOPP chemotherapy protocol is the oldest standard treatment for a cancer of the lymphatic system called Hodgkin's disease, explains Healthcommunities.com. The four drugs included are mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone. Mechlorethamine and vincristine are given intravenously on days one and eight and procarbazine and prednisone are orally administered on days one through 14.
Side effects may include kidney and liver problems, hair loss, bleeding problems and gastrointestinal effects. In the long term, the MOPP protocol may lead to sterility and abnormal bone marrow cells.
