Cancer occurs when normal cells either become mutated or damaged. This causes them to grow more rapidly and to not respond to normal cellular signals to stop dividing. Many chemotherapy treatments take advantage of this property to poison the cancer cells. Chemotherapy agents target cells that are dividing, but as a result they also attack normal cells, which can lead to side effects. As a result, many chemotherapy treatments are tested to see if they can cause fewer side effects than other medications.
Alimta Mechanism
Alimta is a type of chemotherapy that is also known as premetrexed. It was originally developed by Eli Lilly and Co., and is similar, chemically, to folic acid. This causes it to be part of a class of drugs called folate antimetabolites. What these drugs do is to inhibit the enzymes that make the precursors to DNA. As a result, more DNA cannot be made, which causes the death of cells that are growing rapidly, such as cancer cells.
Carboplatin Mechanism
Carboplatin is another form of chemotherapy and is related to another type of drug called cisplatin. It was originally developed at the Institute of Cancer Research, in London. It is known as a DNA alkylation drug. This means that it binds to DNA and causes mutations, which can kill cells, especially cancer cells.
Alimta and Carboplatin Combination
Alimta and Carboplating are often prescribed in combination for patients who have lung cancers. This type of combination is used for small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, and nonsmall cell lung cancers, regardless of stage. This type of treatment is also often combined with another drug, called taxol, and frequently follows a course of radiation treatment.
Reasons for Combination
Chemotherapy medications are often combined in an effort to attack cancer cells in a variety of ways. Because it is very rare that all of a tumor responds to one method of treatment, multiple drugs are used to increase the effectiveness of the therapy. One reason why Alimta and Carboplatin are often used together is that they have a different mechanism of action but have fewer side effects than other drug combinations. The primary side effects of this combination is a lower cell count in the blood, which can cause anemia and fatigue, but this is mild compared to other combinations that carry the risk of kidney damage and hearing loss.
Alimta and Carboplatin effectiveness
In general, Alimta and Carboplatin have been found to have similar effectiveness as other combinations of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of lung cancers and mesothelioma. While they aren't more effective than other drug combinations, they have been found to cause fewer side effects in patients. These medications are usually given to patients that cannot have their cancer removed via surgery.
Tags: Alimta Carboplatin, side effects, cancer cells, fewer side, fewer side effects, lung cancers, than other
