CAPOX chemotherapy is commonly known to cure colon and rectal cancers. It is also being used to cure other diseases. Two chemotherapy drugs namely, capecitabine (kape-SITE-a-been) or Xeloda (zeh-LOE-duh) and oxaliplatin (ox-AL-i-pla-tin) or Eloxatin (ee-LOX-a-tin) are used for the treatment, hence the name CAPOX. These drugs restrict the cancer cells from growing and dividing, causing the cells to die. CAPOX is the most preferred treatment for colon cancer,

Things to keep in mind before starting CAPOX

• Capecitabine: The drug capecitabine does not work very well with blood thinners. It is very important for patients to inform the doctors or health care providers about the blood thinners they are using before beginning the therapy. The health care providers will need to perform certain blood tests to check the blood and its ability to clot. In most cases, the dosage of blood thinners is decreased while taking capecitabine. Capecitabine shows a few side effects. Patients taking the drug might experience severe diarrhea. In some rare cases, it triggers heart problems among patients. Irregular heartbeat, electro-cardio graphic changes, angina, heart attack, and heart failure are some of them. They are more common among patients who have had heart problems in the past. Your health care provider or doctors need to be contacted immediately if there are any problems.
• Oxaliplatin:Oxaliplatin commonly attacks nerve cells and stops its functioning. This is termed as neuropathy. Two types of neuropathy can be caused by oxaliplatin:

  • Neuropathy can be caused within the first few hours to two days after beginning the treatment. This can be called early onset neuropathy. This kind of neuropathy is cured usually within 14 days. Cold weather and exposure to cold objects could begin the symptoms and worsen it. One should avoid cold weather, cold drinks, and cold foods for some days after the treatment begins.

  • Neuropathy at times lasts for several weeks or months. This is termed as chronic neuropathy in chemotherapy. It usually begins after the patient undergoes several oxaliplatin treatments.

Precautions to be taken with Oxaliplatin:

• Oxaliplatin can cause pharyngolaryngeal dysesthesia, where a patient experiences a feeling of tightness or discomfort in the throat. This would cause breathing difficulty or problem in swallowing. This symptom seems frightening but it is only a sensation and does not cause any problems while breathing. The discomfort and tightness feeling usually goes away after a few minutes from the treatment.

• If chemotherapy oxaliplatin leaks out of the veins accidently while being induced, it may cause redness, burning, pain or swelling around the area of injection. This needs to be bought to the medical advisors attention right away.

• Oxaliplatin might affect the kidneys. If the patient has a history of kidney diseases, it needs to be bought to the doctors attention.
• A rare lung condition termed as pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by oxaliplatin. If patients develop a cough or are most often short of breath, it needs to be told to the health care advisors.

• Allergic reactions can be caused after the treatment. Patients might develop a rash, swollen lips, or tongue or even experience problems while breathing.

Patients need to be extremely careful while undergoing CAPOX Chemotherapy. If major symptoms and side effects persist, the treatment could be stopped for some time until the patient is recovered completely.