Chemotherapy
Cytostatics against Brain Tumours
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. The used medication (chemotherapeutic agents or cytostatics) is supposed to hinder the tumour cells from dividing or even kill them. In this treatment the tumour cell´s high ability to devide is used, because they are more sensitive to disturbances in poliferation than normal cells.
However, chemotherapeutic agents have a similar effect on normal cells with heightened cell division rate. This could cause certain side-effects, such as e.g. hair loss or changes in the blood picture.
The drugs are either given directly into the blood (intravenous) or as capsules. Below you find some cytostatics that are used against brain tumours:
- Carmustine
- Cisplatin
- Cytosine Arabinoside
- Fluorouracil
- Fotemustine
- Hydroxycarbamide
- Irinotecan
- Lomustine
- Methotrexate
- Nimustine
- Procarbazine
- Temozolomide
- Teniposid
- Topotecan
- Vincristine
The kind of cytostatic that is administered depends on the brain tumour type and if the drug is authorised for this indication. An authorisation is usually granted after successful completion of a treatment trial investigating the drug´s effectiveness and tolerability.
