Chemotherapy is one of the most common forms of cancers treatments. The medication aims at destroying cancer cells. Platinum-based chemotherapy drugs are used to treat various cancer types such as lung, breast, testicular and ovarian. Many different types of chemotherapy drugs are used to treat cancer. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard care treatment for most patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The platinum Compounds which are currently used in NSCLC are cisplatin and carboplatin. Cisplatin was the first platinum-based drug and approved to treat cancer in the year 1978. Carboplatin is a modified version of cispatin with similar mechanisms but with fewer side effects. These medications are often used in combination of other anticancer drugs. We take a deeper look at how platinum-based chemotherapy treats lung cancer.
Platinum-based chemotherapy drugs contain platinum and is used to treat different types of cancer. Continuous research work is going on to examine the potential benefits of this treatment with the hope that newer drugs might be able to cut down the side effects. These drugs are used in combination with other medications.
Platinum-based chemotherapies work by targeting and interfering with DNA in rapidly dividing cells including cancer cells. These platinum compounds form chemical bonds with DNA molecules in cells and cause structural changes to DNA. The cancer cells are killed in a way that triggers the immune system to recognize and attack them.
One of the drawbacks of these platinum-based chemotherapy drugs can damage healthy cells in your body. The factors that can affect include age, current organ dysfunction, and other health conditions. Some studies have suggested that platinum-based drugs can simulate a process called immunogenic cell death.
There are ongoing researches to discover how cisplatin may affect other mechanisms to help aid lung cancer treatment in the future.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only.
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