Dealing Drugs: The Chemicals of Chemo and How They’re Administered
There are over 100 different chemotherapy drugs, each with its unique properties for killing cancer cells, each requiring its own method of delivery to a person's system.
According to the Amercian Cancer Society, some of the standard types of chemotherapy drugs are:
¢ Alkylating agents
¢ Antimetabolites
¢ Anthracyclines
¢ Topiosomerase inhibitors
¢ Miotic inhibitors
¢ Corticosteroids
Many specific drugs fall under these categories. The NCI Drug Dictionary is an excellent source of information about specific drugs for treating cancer.
Chemotherapy drugs are introduced by various ways into the body:
¢ Oral-by mouth, usually pills
¢ Topical-applied to the skin as a cream or lotion
¢ Intravenous-through the vein
¢ Intramuscular-injected into the muscle
¢ Subcutaneous-injected under the skin
¢ Intra-arterial-injected into an artery
¢ Intrathecal-introduced via the cerebrospinal fluid
¢ Intrapleural-infused into the chest cavity
¢ Intraperitoneal-infused into the abdominal cavity
¢ Intravesical-infused into the bladder
¢ Intralesional/intratumoral-injected directly into the tumor