Cisplatin & Gemcitabine

Cisplatin and Gemcitabine are two chemotherapy medications. These medications damage the cancer cells’ DNA and other internal parts to kill them.

This treatment is very effective for a wide variety of cancers. In today’s day and age, most of the side effects of chemotherpy can be effectively managed by your cancer team, making this tried and trusted treatment combination very useful.

Depending on the context, cisplatin and gemcitabine can be used for:

  • bladder cancer before or after curative-intent surgery
  • lung cancer
  • bile duct cancer
  • ovarian cancer

Usually, these drugs are given together on first day of each cycle, followed by 1 or 2 weekly doses of gemcitabine every “cycle” (or “round”) of chemotherapy. Your regimen may be very different and you should ask your Doctor about the exact details.

In some cases, you may be recommended to get gemcitabine maintenance after completing few cycles of this combination therapy. The idea behind maintenance gemcitabine is that it keeps killing remaining cancer cells without causing as many side effects as a combination chemotherapy would have. Again, this decision is highly individualized and you should ask your Doctor for details.

Now, let’s learn about the side effects of each of these chemotherapy medications. This will help you maximize the benefits and reduce the risk of harm.

Read more about cisplatin and gemcitabine here:
CISPLATIN
GEMCITABINE

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