Different Types of Chemotherapy: Everything You Need to Know

Dr.Parveen Jain, 6 mins read

Chemotherapy has been an effective and reliable cancer treatment for decades. It uses drugs to kill harmful cancerous cells and prevent them from reproducing.

Due to its benefits to millions of patients, it has become a mainstay treatment for rapidly spreading cancers. It is sometimes combined with other therapies as well.

Since it also carries some risks, you should properly consult your doctor. The doctor selects a specific regimen of chemotherapy on the basis of your cancer type. The dosage calculation is on the basis of the height and weight of the patient. The usual practice is to give the maximum safe dosage for increased effectiveness and reduced side effects.

There are several types of chemotherapy. Each fights against cancer in different ways. Many times doctors recommend more than one type of chemotherapy. This is called combination chemotherapy.

It is a very effective approach for the treatment of certain cancers. It also reduces the likelihood that cancer cells develop resistance against a particular drug.

Common Types of Chemotherapy

• Alkylating Agents

These drugs are among the first anticancer drugs that are still in use. They damage the DNA of cancer cells and prevent them from multiplying. This ultimately prevents the spread of cancer throughout the body.

They are also called ‘cell cycle phase nonspecific’ - meaning they kill the cancer cells in various ways and multiple phases of the cell cycles. Though used for most types of cancer, they are more effective against slow-growing cancers.

Examples: Cisplatin, Chlorambucil, Carboplatin, etc.

• Antimetabolites

These drugs trick the cancer cells into using the drugs instead of molecules required to make generic material for reproduction. They are ‘cell cycle specific’ - meaning they kill the cancer cells when they are multiplying.

Antimetabolites are used to treat a range of cancers, including leukaemia and gastrointestinal cancers.

Examples: Methotrexate, Fluorouracil, Fludarabine, etc.

• Antitumor Antibodies

Anti-tumour antibodies are ‘cell cycle non-specific’. They treat a range of cancers by changing their DNA. These drugs are made up of microorganisms. But they are different from the antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. They either break up DNA strands or stop or slow DNA synthesis, thus preventing the reproduction of cancer cells.

Examples: Mitoxantrone, Doxorubicin, Bleomycin, etc.

• Topoisomerase inhibitors

These drugs are derived from plants that help in preventing the multiplication of cancer cells. They alter the enzymes called topoisomerase, which is required to separate strands of DNA so that it can be copied.

Topoisomerase inhibitors are ‘cell cycle specific’. They are used to treat cancers like ovaries, lungs and gastrointestinal tracts.

Examples: Irinotecan and Etoposide, etc.

• Mitotic inhibitors

Like topoisomerase inhibitors, they are also derived from plants. These inhibitors prevent the cancer cells from undergoing mitosis, a process of cell duplication. Thus, preventing cancer growth. These drugs could be recommended to treat lymphoma, leukaemia, lung cancers and breast cancer.

Examples: Paclitaxel, Docetaxel and Eribulin

• Plant alkaloids

Another plant-derived drug that affects the cancer cell's ability to divide. Though they work throughout the cell life cycle, they are more effective during the S (Synthetic) and M (Mitosis) phases.

Examples: Doxorubicin, Mitomycin, Actinomycin, etc.

Takeaway!

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells. It has various types and each fights against cancer in different ways. An oncologist may recommend a combination of two or more types of chemotherapy for more effective treatment. This is done by first evaluating your overall condition and type of cancer.