Oncology Support
Cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy, adjusted to the type and stage of cancer involved. A few medicines here instead manage nausea, vomiting or other treatment effects.
Levothroid
25mcg · 50mcg · 75mcg · 100mcg · 112mcg · 125mcg · 200mcg
Formulated to alleviate hormone deficiencies to support baseline metabolic activity and target systemic lethargy.
Methotrexate Tablets
2.5mg · 5mg · 7.5mg · 10mg
Utilised to manage rapid cell division to alleviate joint inflammation and support disease suppression.
Tamoxifen Tablets
20mg
Formulated to alleviate estrogen-responsive tumour growth to support breast cancer remission and target cancer cells.
Purinethol
50mg
Utilised to manage rapid lymphatic division to alleviate leukaemic cells and support therapeutic remission.
Low Dose Naltrexone Capsules
1.5mg
Developed to mitigate chronic neuropathic pain and fatigue to support cellular immune safety and target cytokine release.
Fenbendazole Capsules
222mg · 444mg
Designed to support cellular health to manage helminthic infestations and alleviate parasitic load.
Ibrutinib Capsules
140mg
Treats certain blood cancers by blocking Bruton's tyrosine kinase, a protein essential for b-cell cancer cell survival and proliferation, resulting to reduced tumour burden.
Lenalidomide Capsules
10mg
Treats multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and certain lymphomas by modulating the immune system and directly targeting tumour cells, resulting in reduced cancer cell proliferation.
Ribociclib Tablets
200mg
Treats hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 to halt cancer cell division and slow tumour growth.
Key points
- Types of Cancer Treatment lists chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy among the main approaches, often used in combination.
- Targeted Therapy for Cancer explains that these medicines target the proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide and spread.
- Testing a tumour for a specific target, called biomarker testing, often guides which targeted therapy is used.
Medicines for specific cancers
Tarceva contains erlotinib for non-small cell lung cancer, and with gemcitabine, for pancreatic cancer. Gleevec contains imatinib for chronic myeloid leukaemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Sprycel contains dasatinib for chronic myeloid leukaemia and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and Ibrutinib Capsules treats chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia. Afinitor contains everolimus for renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer and neuroendocrine tumours, and Nexavar contains sorafenib for liver, kidney and thyroid cancers. Kisqali and Ribociclib Tablets both contain ribociclib for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Thalix, Lenalidomide Capsules and Pomalyst are related medicines for multiple myeloma, and Alkeran contains melphalan for multiple myeloma and ovarian carcinoma.
Hormone-blocking medicines for breast and prostate cancer
Tamoxifen Tablets, Nolvadex, Altraz and Aromasin block hormone activity in breast cancer, and Casodex and Eulexin do the same for prostate cancer. Evista contains raloxifene and is used to reduce breast cancer risk and prevent osteoporosis, rather than to treat existing cancer.
Further cancer medicines and supportive care
Leukeran treats chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Purinethol treats acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Hydrea treats chronic myeloid leukaemia, head and neck cancer and sickle cell anaemia. Cytoxan treats lymphomas and multiple myeloma. Zocitab contains capecitabine for metastatic breast cancer and for colorectal cancer, and Efudex is a topical medicine for actinic keratosis and superficial basal cell carcinoma. Zofran and Kytril manage chemotherapy or radiotherapy related nausea and vomiting, and Zyloprim manages high uric acid linked to cancer treatment.
Medicines here that do not treat cancer
Synthroid and Levothroid are thyroid hormone replacement medicines for an underactive thyroid. Low Dose Naltrexone Capsules treats fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis related fatigue, and Fenbendazole Capsules treats helminthiasis, a parasitic worm infection.