About Oral Chemotherapy

Nowadays, chemotherapy is a main treatment method for cancer along with surgery and radiotherapy. The main purpose of chemotherapy is to eradicate cancer cells throughout the body. Depending on various factors such as the type of cancer, chemotherapy can be administered either intravenously or even orally. Chemotherapy pills are quiet useful to treat colorectal cancer compared to intravenous administration. Based on various studies, it is also recommended that patients suffering from advanced stage cancer may be more susceptible to oral chemotherapy.

It is essential to know that oral chemotherapy causes fewer adverse effects compared to intravenous administered chemotherapy. At times, cancer patients that are receiving oral chemotherapy have a better quality of life compared to patients that are giving intravenous chemotherapy. On the other hand, 5 – fluorouracil administered intravenously has become a standard treatment option for most hospitals. This medication can be administered alone or in combination with other types of chemotherapy drugs.

Oral and intravenous chemotherapy both have side effects towards the patient. Some types of chemotherapy result in fewer side effects compared to others such as Capecitabine which is oral chemotherapy administered for colorectal cancer. Capecitabine is also popularly known as Xeloda, its brand name, and results in the decreased size of the tumor. Capecitabine basically converts into 5 – FU following absorption which facilitates the shrinkage of tumors.

Based on several studies, a number of results showed that advanced stage cancer patients receiving Capecitabine live longer at an average of 23.1 months compared to patients that are administered chemotherapy who live at an average of 22.5 months post therapy. Capecitabine used alone or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs is quite effective in various stages of colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers. It is important to understand that Capecitabine or Xeloda is the standard treatment for colorectal cancer.

Several patients suffering from cancer actually prefer taking Capecitabine since it has fewer side effects especially patients suffering from various types of gastrointestinal cancer. The side effects of chemotherapy can be unbearable for some patients. These chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body to target and destroy cancer cells but also create systemic side effects.

Generally, people suffering from cancer that receive oral chemotherapy respond better to the treatment. Also they have fewer side effects such as ulcers, hair loss, nausea, diarrhea and more. Oral chemotherapy is much less toxic than intravenous chemotherapy and patients have a chance to recover faster once the treatment has ended.