TPF chemotherapy for head and neck cancer

Chemotherapy is used to treat various cancers. Various chemotherapy drugs are applied which eradicates cancer by stopping or slowing down growth of cancerous cell. Depending on chemotherapy drugs used, there are different chemotherapy treatments. TPF chemotherapy is used to treat head and neck cancer. TPF chemotherapy comprise of three drugs including docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (5-FU).

According to recent studies, combination chemotherapy used to treat head and neck cancer has an improved remission rate when taxanes is added to the standard cytotoxic drugs cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Also to improve the response rate of chemotherapy, a series of biological response modifiers are of interest which includes modulators of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). When tumors had begun to grow, combination chemotherapy is more effective than single drug chemotherapy either with cisplatin, 5-FU or docetaxel alone.

Most patients present with advanced neck and head cancer (stage III/IV disease) suffer from pain, weight loss. More treatment used to treat head and neck cancer includes chemo radiotherapy. In this treatment, emphasis is given to organ preservation. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is used in chemo radiotherapy treatment in TPF chemotherapy is applied prior to radiotherapy to shrink size of tumor. This treatment has demonstrated significant survival and local control advantage.

TPF chemotherapy is applied in cycles. Each chemotherapy treatment comprises of 2 to 3 treatment cycles. Each cycle also has rest period or recovery period which allows patient to recover from chemotherapy side effects. Each patient is monitored for toxicities and also response is observed. Also patient is kept informed about response and toxicities.

TPF Chemotherapy Side Effetcts

Chemotherapy drugs are toxic in nature. While eradicating cancer cell, they also affect normal body cell which causes some unpleasant side effects. However these side effects are temporary and will disappear once the treatment gets over.

Most common side effects associated with chemotherapy treatment include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, memory loss, weight loss, loss of appetite and susceptibility of infection. If you feel any of the side effects, do consult with your doctor or health team.