Commonly used drugs and regimens for chemotherapy of esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer is a common tumor of the digestive system. Chemotherapy is a common treatment for esophageal cancer. Let's take a look at the two common chemotherapy regimens and precautions for esophageal cancer:

Solution 1: DDF+5-Fu

Repeat every 3-4 weeks

Note:

1. The adverse reactions of this regimen are mainly gastrointestinal toxicity, including nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, and gastrointestinal mucosal damage, which require the use of antiemetic drugs such as 5-HT3 receptor antagonists.

2. In clinical use, individual tolerance of 5-Fu varies greatly. If a patient develops significant oral mucositis and diarrhea during the first course of chemotherapy, the dose of 5-Fu should be reduced in the next course.

3. The use of large doses of DDP requires hydration and diuresis.

4. This regimen is most widely used in esophageal cancer. For patients with locally advanced disease, the efficacy of this regimen is 40% to 50%. If performed simultaneously with radiotherapy, both drugs have a radiosensitizing effect, and the adverse reactions of this regimen are relatively mild.

Option 2: Paclitaxel+DDP+5-Fu

Repeat every 4 weeks

Note:

1. The main adverse reaction of this regimen is bone marrow suppression, but there is no need to use prophylactic G-CSF. If agranulocytosis infection occurs, the use of G-CSF for prophylactic anti-infection can be considered in the next course of treatment.

2. In clinical use, individual tolerance of 5-Fu varies greatly. If a patient develops significant oral mucositis and diarrhea during the first course of chemotherapy, the dose of 5-Fu should be reduced in the next course.

3. The use of large doses of DDP requires hydration and diuresis.

4. The clinical efficacy of this regimen is 48%, with a high CR rate of 12%. In general, chemotherapy regimens containing PTX have a high efficacy.

5. For recurrent and metastatic esophageal cancer, the purpose of chemotherapy is palliative treatment, which aims to improve the quality of life and/or prolong survival. Therefore, the intensity of treatment should not be excessive. Effective patients should maintain treatment for 4 to 6 courses. Patients who are ineffective or have failed treatment can consider the use of new drug composition regimens, and clinical trials can also be considered.

6. Patients receiving concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy should pay attention to adverse reactions.