What to Know About Chemotherapy for Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Origin
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| Chemotherapy drugs kill all cells that divide rapidly, including cancer cells. |
Chemotherapy uses drugs to attack and kill cells that divide quickly. This includes both cancer cells and some normal cells. How chemotherapy drugs affect those normal cells depends on the types of drugs you get and your response to them.
Doctors inject chemotherapy for carcinoma of unknown primary origin (CUP) into one of your veins. This lets it spread through your entire body to kill cancer cells. The drugs you receive depend on the area of your body where the cancer first showed signs. Your doctor may give you chemotherapy in an attempt to cure CUP. Or you may get it to try to slow the growth of the cancer.
Chemotherapy is often given in combinations of two or more drugs. These are the most common drugs used to treat CUP.
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Taxol (paclitaxel)
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VePesid or VP-16 (etoposide)
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Many brands of cisplatin or carboplatin
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Taxotere (docetaxel)
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5-FU or Adrucil (fluorouracil)
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Gemzar (gemcitabine)
Online Medical Reviewer:
Alteri, Rick MD
Online Medical Reviewer:
Morgan, Jeffrey MD
Online Medical Reviewer:
Photopoulos, Rhaea MS, MSN, NP
Last Annual Review Date:
4/16/2008