Metastases chemotherapy

Notes Toxicity [6709,6710] deuteradon [6361] bacterial degradation [6711]. BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY Pimitary gonadotropic hormone inhibitor (compound 7116) [6640] antimicrobial [6712] antiinflammatory [6713] antiviral [6714] choleretic [6715] melanoma metastasis chemotherapy [6716]. 

Tumor Type Percent of Tumors Approximate Cell Doubling Time Sensitivity to Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Relative Risk of Metastasis... 

Chemo, chemotherapy NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer PORT, postoperative radiotherapy TNM, tumor node metastasis. 

Brain metastasis is common in melanoma, and treatment options for brain metastasis include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The choice of therapy depends on the number of metastatic lesions, accessibility of the lesions for surgery, the presence of neurologic symptoms, and the status of extracranial disease. 

Chemotherapeutic drugs may also be put directly into the bladder to lower the risk of recurrence. If the cancer cannot be easily removed, radiation (from an external source or from a radioisotope placed in the bladder) may be needed. If the cancer has spread through the bladder wall, the bladder may be removed, and chemotherapy may be needed after metastasis. 

Bevacizumab, a recombinant, humanized monoclonal antibody, neutralizes vascular endothelial growth factor. The addition of bevacizumab to doublet chemotherapy is recommended in advanced NSCLC of nonsqua-mous cell histology in patients with no history of hemoptysis and no CNS metastasis who are not receiving therapeutic anticoagulation. 

Human cancers vary widely in their ability to produce metastasis. At present, there are no reliable methods to predict metastatic potential. For optimum patient management, however, knowledge of the aggressiveness of a tumor is desirable when deciding which patients should receive adjuvant chemotherapy. This type of information is particularly important for axillary node-negative breast cancer and Dukes B colorectal cancer. 

Benign tnmonrs are nsnally only a problem when they impair the fnnction of organs or canse metabolic stress. They can be removed by snrgery or radiation therapy. Malignant tnmonrs are mnch more of a problem, since the cells can escape from the primary tnmonr to other sites in the body, where they settle and develop into secondary tumours (metastases). Then, chemotherapy is the only treatment available. The process is known as metastasis. 

DeClerck K, Elble RC (2010) The role of hypoxia and acidosis in promoting metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Front Biosci 15 213-225... 

A short cell cycle and a high cell proliferation fraction cause the rapid tumor growth and early metastasis. These factors account, in part, for the high sensitivity of SCLC to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The mean doubling time of SCLC cell lines is 50 d (15-250 d) (15-17). The response to chemotherapy alone is approx 80% but with alow complete response rate of 30 -0% (18). The complete response rate to combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy is up to 80% (19). 

Patients with metastatic breast cancer are incurable using conventional therapy such as hormonal manipulation or chemotherapy. However, as in most other neoplastic diseases the bulk of knowledge on drug treatment has been obtained in this stage of the disease. The median survival from the manifestation of metastasis is approximately 18-24 months. It is, however, important to realize that metastatic breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and for some patients the disease can be controlled for many years with relatively good quality of life. 

If patients are undergoing a course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, herbal formulas that quickly promote blood circulation and stimulate the Qi should not be used to avoid bleeding and metastasis. Formulas that strongly tonify the Qi should not be used on their own in order to minimize the possibility of promoting the growth of the tumor. 

The clinical application of CVS may soon be available to prevent recurrence or metastasis of primary tumors and to relieve the adverse effects of chemotherapeutics and support cancer immuno-chemotherapy. 

---