Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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Breast Cancer Drug Information

Once you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor may prescribe a specific drug regimen. You may have chemotherapy, and you may take medication for years after you’ve finished treatment. Every person is different, so your treatment will be tailored to your needs. This lists common drugs prescribed for breast cancer with information on how to take the drugs, interactions with other medications and common side effects. 

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  • Abraxane IV
    This medication is used to treat advanced breast cancer. Paclitaxel is a cancer chemotherapy drug that works by slowing or stopping cancer cell growth.
  • Aredia IV
    Pamidronate is used to treat high blood calcium levels and certain bone problems (bone metastases/lesions) that may occur with some types of cancer. It is also used to treat a certain type of bone disease (Paget's disease) that causes abnormal and weak bones.
  • Arimidex Oral
    This medication is used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through "the change of life" (menopause). Anastrozole works by lowering estrogen hormone levels to help shrink tumors and slow their growth.
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  • Aromasin Oral
    This medication is used to treat certain types of breast cancer (such as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer) in women after menopause. Exemestane is also used to help prevent the cancer from returning. Some breast cancers are made to grow faster by a natural hormone called estrogen. Exemestane decreases the amount of estrogen the body makes and helps to slow or reverse the growth of these breast cancers.
  • Faslodex IM
    Fulvestrant is used to treat breast cancer that has spread to other areas of the body in women who have gone through "the change of life" (menopause). It is used in patients who have not responded well to other medications (e.g., tamoxifen). Breast cancer cells need the hormone estrogen in order to grow. Fulvestrant works by blocking the effect of estrogen, slowing tumor cell growth.
  • Femara Oral
    This medication is used to treat certain types of breast cancer (such as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer) in women after menopause. Letrozole is also used to help prevent the cancer from returning. Some breast cancers are made to grow faster by a natural hormone called estrogen. Letrozole decreases the amount of estrogen the body makes and helps to slow or reverse the growth of these breast cancers.
  • Gemzar IV
    Gemcitabine is used alone or with other treatments/medications to treat certain types of cancer (including breast, lung, ovarian, pancreatic). It is a chemotherapy drug that works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
  • Herceptin IV
    Trastuzumab is used alone or with other medications to treat certain types of breast cancer (tumors that produce more than the normal amount of a certain substance called HER2 protein).
  • Neulasta SubQ
    Pegfilgrastim is a long-acting form of the drug, filgrastim. These drugs, called colony-stimulating factors, are used to help stimulate the bone marrow to make white blood cells in patients who are not able to produce enough white blood cells on their own.
  • Neupogen Inj
    This medication stimulates the blood system (bone marrow) to make white blood cells, helping you fight infections. This medication is given to those whose ability to make white blood cells has been reduced. Filgrastim (also known as G-CSF, or granulocyte colony stimulating factor) is a man-made version of a certain natural substance found in the body. It is produced using a certain bacteria.
  • Procrit Inj
    This medication is used to treat anemia (low red blood cell count) in people with long-term serious kidney disease (chronic renal failure), people receiving zidovudine to treat HIV, and people receiving chemotherapy for certain types of cancer (non-myeloid cancers). It may also be used in anemic patients to reduce the need for blood transfusions before certain planned surgeries that have a high risk of blood loss (usually combined with the "blood thinner" warfarin). Epoetin alfa helps to reverse anemia and improves your energy and activity level. It works by signaling the bone marrow to make more red blood cells. This medication is very similar to the natural substance in your body (erythropoietin) that prevents anemia.
  • Taxotere IV
    This medication is used to treat certain types of cancer (e.g., breast, lung, and prostate cancer). Docetaxel is a member of a family of drugs called taxanes. This drug works by slowing cell growth.
  • Xeloda Oral
    Capecitabine is used alone or with other treatments/medications to treat certain types of cancer (e.g., of the breast, colon, rectum). It works by slowing or stopping cancer cell growth and by decreasing tumor size.
  • Zoladex SubQ
    Goserelin is used in men to treat prostate cancer. It is used in women to treat certain breast cancers or a certain uterus disorder (endometriosis). It is also used in women to thin the lining of the uterus (endometrium) in preparation for a procedure to treat abnormal uterine bleeding.
  • Zometa IV
    This medication is used to treat high blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia) that may occur with cancer. Zoledronic acid is also used with cancer chemotherapy to treat bone problems that may occur with multiple myeloma and other types of cancer (such as breast, lung) that have spread to the bones. Zoledronic acid belongs to a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates. It lowers high blood calcium levels by reducing the amount of calcium released from your bones into your blood. It also works by slowing the breakdown of your bones by cancer to prevent bone fractures.
  • Ixempra IV
    This medication is used alone or with other medications to treat advanced cancer. Ixabepilone is a chemotherapy drug that works to slow or stop cancer cell growth.