Chemotherapy Wafers
Implanting chemotherapy wafers have proved phenomenal to treat brain tumor or Glioma. These wafers contain gel of chemotherapy drugs. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended the use of chemotherapy wafers to treat either High Grade Malignant Glioma or Glioblastoma Multiforme that recurs after the treatment. The usage of chemotherapy wafers is restrained in any other forms of cancer. The most common chemotherapy wafers used are Gliadel Wafers.
These wafers are grafted after the remission or excision of the brain tumor by a surgery at the site of rudimentary tumor. Doctors usually implant eight wafers at the region of tumor, which slowly diffuses to release the chemotherapy drugs over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. Chemotherapy wafers are used for the treatment of brain cancer effectively and hugely.
Treatment of cancer using chemotherapy wafers erases out any chance of side effects like hair loss, anemia, low immunity, bleeding by a small cut etc. These anomalies are more common when the chemo drugs are infused in the blood stream directly. However, some peculiar side effects of chemotherapy wafers include weakness and paralysis on one side of the body followed by convulsions and fits. The irregularities might be more intensified depending on the sight of tumor in the brain.
Glioma is a rife. This form of cancer attacks five out of every 100,000 population. The efficacy of the first treatment given via surgery is very less and the chances are higher that the tumor reappears after first treatment. Use of chemotherapy wafers is a novel mode of treatment that has been proved unbeaten.
Gliadel Wafer is a chemotherapy wafer most commonly planted in glioma patients especially amongst the cases of primary glioma. Glioma chemotherapy works effectively to treat cancer patients greatly. Doctors often cite that the outcome of chemotherapy wafers is instant as one does not have to wait till two weeks post surgery to begin with the chemotherapy. This could be rather done right away at the site of surgery.
Chemo wafers even score better once the chemotherapy is given in the blood. There is a very low chance that these drugs would filter from blood to the brain. The walls of blood vessels that line our brain are very selective and permit very few gases and nutrients to filter and enter our brain. Chemo wafers thus rules out any such shortcomings.