The main tasks of chemotherapy abroad
Chemotherapy abroad can be used alone or with other cancer treatments to achieve certain goals.:
- Neoadjuvant therapy is prescribed to reduce the tumor before surgery or radiation therapy.;
- Adjuvant therapy – helps to destroy cancer cells that remain after surgery or radiation therapy;
- Combination therapy – chemotherapy can be prescribed simultaneously with other types of treatment (targeted therapy, immunotherapy) to increase their effectiveness.;
- Chemotherapy as a repeat treatment is designed to destroy a tumor that has returned or spread to other parts of the body.
Methods of delivery of chemotherapy abroad
In clinics abroad, chemotherapy is selected based on a molecular analysis of each patient's tumor. Depending on the type, stage, and other features of cancer, different drug delivery methods are used. The most common methods are intravenous infusion and oral medications in the form of tablets. In some types of skin cancer, special creams and lotions are used.
If rapid delivery of chemotherapy to the tumor is necessary, the drug is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid or into the brain using a device located under the scalp. Focused ultrasound is used to improve the penetration of the drug from the bloodstream into the brain tumor. Ultrasound waves temporarily weaken the blood-brain barrier.
Currently, research is underway in Israel and Germany on an innovative way to deliver chemotherapy using nanorobots. Microparticles are transported through the bloodstream and, upon reaching the tumor, release the drug (the signal for action can be pH, light rays or ultrasound). This helps to increase the dosage of the drug without risking healthy body cells.
Types of chemotherapy abroad
According to the principle of action of chemotherapy, several groups of drugs are distinguished.
- Targeted chemotherapy. Drugs attack certain parts of cancer cells that are necessary for growth and development. There are 2 main types of targeted drugs. Antibody preparations are obtained from proteins of the immune system (they act on the principle of immunity). Small-molecule drugs attach to specific areas of cancer cells, preventing them from functioning. This type of chemotherapy provides minimal side effects, as the drug particles do not attach to normal cells.
- Enzyme inhibitors. Chemotherapy blocks the work of enzymes necessary for the growth of a cancerous tumor.
- Drugs that induce apoptosis. This type of therapy triggers the breakdown of cancer cells. Some drugs alter the structure of the proteins of malignant cells, causing their destruction.
- Angiogenesis inhibitors – stop the growth of blood vessels feeding the tumor.
In clinics in China and Korea, chemotherapeutic drugs are sometimes made from natural raw materials: bacteria, fungi or plants. For example, anthracyclines are made from Streptomyces bacteria, which are effective anticancer drugs for many types of cancer.
South Korea
China
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