Adjuvant therapy of malignant tumors is a modern method of treating neoplasms using high technology. Certain drugs and substances are introduced into the human body - antineoplastic agents that have an antitumor effect.
Chemotherapeutic drugs are detrimental to rapidly developing cancer cells. Medicines produce a less damaging effect on healthy multiplying cells of the human body.
Differences from Pharmacotherapy
The fundamental difference is that in the treatment with therapeutic agents there are two participants in the process - the medicine and the human body, which must be cured. Adjuvant therapy involves a chemotherapeutic drug, a tumor carrier organism and a clone of malignant cells to be destroyed, counting three sides of the conflict.
The complex relationship of the three components in the treatment process is significant. When choosing a method of therapy, the doctor takes into account the condition of the patient’s body, age, degree of damage to internal organs obtained for various reasons. The specialist pays attention to the biological characteristics of the tumor, its immune type, cytogenetics and kinetic movement in the area of metastasis.
After comparing the examination data, the oncologist decides on the ability to transfer the treatment procedure to the patient. Adjuvant chemotherapy is prescribed to patients who have the ability to fight the tumor with inoperable methods, or is used as an additional postoperative method.
Treatment Tasks
Adjuvant therapy as a treatment method completely destroys, kills a cancerous tumor or significantly inhibits the metastasis of a clone of aggressive cells, while producing a less destructive effect on the human body.
With antitumor chemotherapy, the pathogenesis of malignancy does not change, for example, the differentiation of aggressive cells and their conversion back to normal does not occur. Conventional therapeutic procedures heal known biochemical shifts and adjust their course.
Adjuvant therapy also does not help develop the natural mechanism of sanogenesis . What does this mean? The natural system of protecting the body from the development of tumor cells is significantly affected by chemotherapy, other human immune mechanisms are in decline. The action is explained by the rapid development of protective cells, which receive a harmful dose to a slightly lesser extent than malignant colonies.
The normal functioning of the body and the improvement of its viability occurs as a secondary manifestation after the destruction of the tumor or a significant slowdown in its growth, if it had a destructive effect on one of the internal organs of a person.
The effect of chemotherapy on oncology and other diseases
Chemicals are used not only to destroy tumors, but also act on various types of infections, such as fungi, viruses, tuberculosis, parasitic infestations, and helminths. Adjuvant parasitic therapy chooses the object of destruction: a microbe that is alien in physiological and biochemical manifestations to the human body, standing on the lower ladder of evolutionary development.
Getting rid of such invasions is safe for people, since the destruction of the parasite uses the characteristics of the metabolism of the infectious agent, and the drugs almost do not affect the cells of the human body. An example is the blocking of muscle tissue by a worm with anthelmintic drugs: the parasite does not attach to the intestinal wall, but comes out with feces. Drugs have no active effect on the intestinal muscles.
During antineoplastic treatment with chemical preparations, the target of the action is aggressive tumor cells that managed to escape from the body's immune control. They become malignant, but initially are the own cells of the human body.
The challenges of anticancer therapy
It is fundamentally impossible to affect only malignant cells without affecting rapidly dividing healthy body tissues. These include immune cells, skin epithelium, hair, nails. Mucous membrane of the stomach, intestines, lungs, trachea, bronchi, urinary system. In some cases, the dose is toxic, complications and side effects occur, resulting in death.
Compared to anthelmintic drugs, adjuvant therapy leads in harmful effects on the body. What does this mean for a person? The reasons for the high toxicity of tumor chemotherapy do not allow the patient to introduce an effective dose of drugs that is theoretically justified in his particular case. The number of chemistry sessions is in question in some cases due to complications in the form of unacceptable toxicosis and side effects that result in death.
Given the approaching 100% fatal risk in diseases of an oncological nature, due to the lack of an alternative solution to chemical therapy, sessions are currently held with a risk of ill health for the patient, aimed at his survival.
What is adjuvant radiation therapy is known to many cancer patients, but it is impossible to perform surgical intervention or radiation in some cases due to the neglect of the tumor and the appearance of copiously developed metastases. In such cases, the last word remains exclusively with chemotherapy.
Indications and contraindications for the use of chemotherapy for breast cancer
Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer involves the use of anticancer drugs and cytostatics. The patient is prescribed them in the form of a dropper, intravenous injections or tablets. Chemotherapy refers to systemic methods of treatment, since cytostatics, once inside, stop the growth of cancer cells not only in the affected organ, but throughout the body.
The indication for chemistry is the appearance of malignant tumors in the chest area. The decision to choose a treatment for women depends on many studies. Features of cancer cells that affect the choice of drugs are their stage of development, size and growth rate. For the patient's body, the role of age, the location of the formation and hormonal disorders.
Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer has a number of contraindications:
- for hormone-dependent cancers of women after menopause;
- in young girls with hormone-dependent forms of tumors, if there is a low level of progesterone and estrogen.
Conducting a course of treatment with chemicals
The course of treatment with drugs takes a huge place in the process of getting rid of the tumor. Depending on the complexity, a surgery or radiation is prescribed. Adjuvant therapy is performed in cycles. What it is? The cycle is called the time of the use of drugs. The number of cycles is determined by the state of the body and other factors. The standard course contains from 4 to 7 repetitions.
After surgical removal of the tumor, prophylactic treatment with chemical drugs is used to prevent the re-emergence of a malignant formation and in order to prevent relapse. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of antitumor therapy - its effectiveness is noted before and after the operation.
What does a breast chemotherapy regimen look like? As a result of treatment, all types of cancer cells in the chest area are destroyed. The effect when prescribing several drugs should be strengthened, but the level of exposure is such that a person can tolerate it without the threat of significant damage to health. In addition, by examining the biological characteristics of the neoplasm, the doctor prescribes such drugs that aggressive cells have no addiction to.
Alkaline drugs are included in the list of drugs that promote recovery. In effect on the body, they resemble radiation. Medications destroy the proteins that control cancer cell genes. A common chemical agent in this series is Cyclophosphamide.
Antimetabolites are introduced into the genetic system of an aggressive cell. Their destructive effect begins in the process of cell division, which leads to its death. Representatives are gemser and 5-fluorouracil. Thus, adjuvant therapy is used. In case of pain, pain medications “Seduxen”, “Carbamazepine”, “Phenytoin” are prescribed.
Antibiotics for the treatment of malignant tumors are not at all like standard therapeutic drugs. Their action is based on a complete slowdown in cell reproduction. "Adriamycin" in combination with "Cytoxan" give a positive effect.
Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy
Melanoma is a common cancer with a visible effect on the skin. Metastases from melanoma are detected by x-ray MRI, PET, ultrasound and are detected by photoacoustics. They use various means of chemical therapy, immunotherapy, interferon, various centers are treated with local perfusions.
Melanoma is difficult to treat, scientists are constantly working on the creation of new drugs. Promising research findings appear from time to time in the pharmaceutical industry. Sometimes they show success in treatment, but it is limited. One of the newest drugs is IL-2. With its help, a long and stable remission is achieved, a rare occurrence of relapses is noted.
Another effective radical remedy is OncoVEX GM-CSF - a medicine of modern experimental therapeutic methods. This drug is in the third phase of clinical trials.
Colorectal Cancer Treatment
In recent years, research into the treatment of colorectal cancer has been encouraging with effective discoveries. The number of failures when using the surgical method to remove the tumor in stages 2 and 3 leads to the fact that adjuvant therapy of colon cancer is increasingly being used . Studies show the effectiveness of a combination of radiation therapy using the chemical 5-Fluorouracil.
The use in the doctor’s practice of accurate methods for detecting a tumor and examining its nature allows for preoperative therapy without initial exposure, if a tumor is detected at the first stage of the disease. The possibility of treatment with chemicals significantly increased the number of cases of postoperative preservation of the sphincter and reduced complications.
To reduce the recurrence rate and increase the incidence of cure without fatal outcomes, pre- and postoperative chemical therapy is being developed. In the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the lower rectum of the middle stage, a standard irradiation scheme is used in combination with 5-fluorouracil.
Postoperative therapy is more effective after applying the sonographic method, which allows you to identify staging errors. The recurrence rate using postoperative therapy is reduced to 20–50% after surgery. The amount of damage to health is determined depending on the specific stage of the tumor.
Drug Therapy for Sinusitis
The mild stages of the disease are treated without the use of antibiotics - adjuvant therapy is used in the treatment of sinusitis. Relief occurs after the systematic use of topical drugs and physiotherapy. The effect of treatment is determined by vasoconstrictor drugs, antiseptic agents, and medications to enhance immunity.
Vasoconstrictors have different mechanisms of action to eliminate the symptoms of sinusitis, but all medications lead to effective treatment of the disease. Aerosol preparations have the best therapeutic effect, since the drug is distributed more quickly on the mucous membrane. Sinusitis with purulent manifestation is treated with antiseptic drops, but it is rather an adjunct to the main treatment.
In severe and complicated course of the disease, the use of antibiotics in tablets is required. Complications of the acute period are treated by injection.
Adjuvant treatments for uterine fibroids
This type of education is most often a benign neoplasm of a woman's internal genital organs. Some patients are not aware of the appearance of fibroids, as they do not undergo a timely examination, and the disease is asymptomatic.
Common symptoms that force the patient to see a doctor are uterine bleeding. Pain is observed in every fourth patient, quickly the tumor grows in the reproductive period in 60% of patients, before menopause in 44% of women.
Adjuvant therapy of fibroids is used to treat benign manifestations. This is a difficult task and the positive effect depends largely on the experience, educational background and technical conditions of the doctor. The possibilities of conservative treatment are used to the maximum, but it is equally important to make a decision on the surgical removal of fibroids in time.
The first method of drug therapy is to reduce the formation of ovarian hormones to the maximum level, thus reducing the level of local uterine hormone. The second method is to create a blockade of abnormal growth zones. To do this, small doses of progestins are introduced, which reduce hormones in the bloodstream and reduce the sensitivity of tumor tissue to the action of estrogen.
In modern medicine, gestagens, antiestrogens, antigonadotropins, antigestagens are used to treat fibroids. Therapy is carried out with hormonal and non-hormonal drugs. Conservative treatment includes antistress, immunocorrective, nootropic drugs, vitamins, antioxidants.
Periodontitis treatment
Periodontitis occurs in some cases, as a transient inflammatory process in rhinitis, osteomyelitis, sinusitis, or otitis media. This disease is manifested by inflammation of the tooth root and adjacent hard tissues. Sometimes caused by pulpitis of the tooth, gum injury. In addition to traditional mechanical treatment, adjuvant therapy of periodontitis is used.
The cause of the onset is diabetes mellitus, improper replenishment of the body with vitamins and minerals, an allergic response to the use of certain medications. Untimely rehabilitation also leads to the disease, adjuvant therapy of periodontitis is used for treatment. What does it mean? The method is based on a thorough antiseptic treatment of the tooth canal and the administration of calcium preparations inside. This method is considered effective if there is the possibility of a long wait for the result. In other cases, there is a danger of exacerbation of the disease.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the use of adjuvant therapy in the treatment of cancer plays an important role. Therapy facilitates the preparatory phase of the operation, and after removal of the malignant formation, it reduces the possibility of relapse and re-emergence of the tumor.