List of Medications Which are Helpful in Lung Cancer Treatment

What is Lung Cancer:

Lung cancer develops when the cells in the lung start to grow out of control and form a mass called a tumor, lesion, or nodule. There are basically a couple of major sorts of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer treatment can be performed by treating it in different ways.
Lung cancer medications including NSCLC and SCLC are enlisted below. 

Drugs Approved for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:

For the treatment of NSCLC there are numerous drugs which are illustrated as follows:

Carboplatin: Carboplatin, sold under the trade name Paraplatin, is a chemotherapy drug used to treat a number of forms of cancer including Lung Cancer, Ovarian cancer, Neck, and Head Cancer, Neuroblastoma and Brain Cancer.

Some common side effects generally occur, which are as: Low Blood Cell levels, Electrolyte problem, and Nausea.

Alectinib: Alectinib (marketed as Alecensa) is an oral drug that blocks the activity of ALK (Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase) and is recommended to be used for the treatment of NSCLC.

Some common adverse effects could occur which are as: Muscle Pain, Swelling,  Light Sensitivity and Rashes, Sight Disorder and low red blood cell count.

Docetaxel: DTX or DXL, sold under the brand name Taxotere, is basically a chemotherapy drug used to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. It can be used by itself or also along with the other chemotherapy drugs.

Common side effects include Vomiting, Hair Loss, numbness, Low Blood Cell Counts, shortness of breath, and muscle pains.

Paclitaxel: PTX, sold under the brand name Taxol, is basically a Chemotherapy drug used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Lung cancer, breast cancer, Kaposi sarcoma, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer, and cervical cancer.

Common side effects include Numbness, Hair Loss, Bone marrow suppression, Muscle Pain, Allergic reactions, and Diarrhea.

Bevacizumab: This drug sold under the brand name Avastin, is a medication used to treat a number of types of cancers including Lung Cancer, Colon Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, and Glioblastoma. It can be also used for specific eye disease.
Common side effects when used for cancer include Headache, nose bleeds, high blood pressure, and rash.

Atezolizumab: This medication is sold under the brand name Tecentriq. Atezolizumab in combination with Pacitaxel, Carboplatin, and Bevacizumab was approved in the United States in December 2018, for the first-line treatment of patients with the metastatic non-squamous, NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. 
It is also used to treat extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

The most common adverse effects include Decreased appetite, Fatigue, Infection, and Nausea.

Protein-Bound Paclitaxel: It is sold under the brand name Abraxane. The drug can be also addressed as nab-paclitaxel or nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel, is kind of an injectable formulation of the Paclitaxel used for the treatment of Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Pancreatic Cancer.
Paclitaxel mainly kills the cancerous cells by preventing and resisting the normal breakdown of the microtubules during cell division.
In 2012, the FDA widened the approved uses to include treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Afatinib: It is sold under the brand name Gilotrif, is a medication which is recommended to be used in the treatment of patients with NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer). It belongs to the TKIs (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor) family of medications.
The drug is mainly used to treat the cases of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer that harbour mutations in the EGFR gene (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor).

Common side effects include dry skin, Dehydration, Dry eye, Increased ALT, Taste change, Fever, Muscle spasms, Diarrhea, and Decreased appetite.

Pemetrexed: This is basically sold under the brand name Alimta or Pemfexy), is a chemotherapy medication for the treatment of NSCLC.
The medicine has these side effects Vomiting, Nausea, Diarrhea, Low blood cell counts, Sleepiness, Loss of appetite, mouth, throat, or lip sores and skin rashes.
Brigatinib: It is basically marketed as Alunbrig, is an inhibitor of ALK and mutated EGFR. The drug is recommended to be used for the treatment of patients with Non-Small cell Lung Cancer.

The most common adverse reactions are as nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, cough, and headache.

Capmatinib: This is sold under the brand name Tabrecta, is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The drug may cause hepatotoxicity, inflammation of the lung tissue, interstitial lung disease embryo-fetal toxicity, and photosensitivity. 

Gemcitabine: It is sold under the brand name Gemzar, is basically a chemotherapy drug used to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. It is also used in the treatment of some other cancer.
Common side effects include Hair loss, bone marrow suppression, liver and kidney problems, fever, nausea, rash, shortness of breath, diarrhea, mouth sores and neuropathy.

Gefitinib: This drug basically sold under the brand name Iressa, is a drug used for certain lung, breast, and other cancers. Gefitinib is an EGFR inhibitor, like Erlotinib, which interrupts signaling through the EGFR in target cells. Therefore, it is only effective in cancers with mutated and overactive Epidermal Growth factor Receptor.
FDA Label: In May 2003, the FDA approved Gefitinib 250 mg for the Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Side Effects: The tolerability profile of this drug is far better than previous existing cytotoxic agents. Acne-like rash,  diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, dehydration, stomatitis, skin reactions and asymptomatic elevations of liver enzymes.

Erlotinib: It is sold under the brand name Tarceva, is a medication recommended to be used for the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and also pancreatic cancer. Specifically, it is used for NSCLC with mutations in the EGFR either a del19 or L858R substitution mutation, which has spread to other body parts.
FDA Label: The US FDA approved Erlotinib 150 mg for the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Side Effects: Common side effects of Erlotinib include Muscle pain, rash, diarrhea, joint pain, and cough. Serious side effects may include liver failure, kidney problems, lung problems, stroke, gastrointestinal perforation, and corneal ulceration. Use in pregnancy should be avoided. It is basically a receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor which acts on the EGFR.

Drugs Approved for Small Cell Lung Cancer:

For the treatment of SCLC there are various medications which are elaborated as follows:

Everolimus:  Everolimus is sold under the trade name Afinitor. It is a kinase inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin. This medication is used as an immunosuppressant in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer and renal cell cancer. 
The most common side effects of everolimus include abdominal pain, fever, infection, rash, cough, nausea, fatigue, decreased appetite, and headache.

Atezolizumab: This is sold under the brand name Tecentriq. This medication is an engineered monoclonal antibody of IgG1 isotype against the protein programmed cell death-ligand 1. 
This medication is quite effective in the case of small cell lung cancer. However, there are few other diseases that are highly effective such as in the treatment of metastatic or advanced endothelial carcinoma treatment, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, and patients of triple-negative breast cancer.

Common side impacts of this drug are nausea, infection, fatigue, and decreased appetite.
Doxorubicin hydrochloride: This drug is sold under the brand name adriamycin. It is a chemotherapy medication that is used in the treatment of several types of cancer. It is helpful in the treatment of bladder cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and Kaposi's sarcoma. This drug is combined with other chemotherapy agents and injected intravenously.

Some common side effects include vomiting, bone marrow, suppression of hair loss, inflammation of the mouth, and Rash. Severe side effects include heart damage, allergic reactions, radiation recall, and treatment-related leukemia.

Durvalumab: This medication is sold under the brand name Imfinzi. This drug is combined with etoposide and carboplatin/cisplatin for the treatment of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer and adult patients.

Some common side effects of durvalumab are nausea, urinary tract infection, constipation, pain, and decreased disease.

Etoposide phosphate: Etoposide phosphate is sold under the brand name Etopophos. This drug belongs to the topoisomerase inhibitor family of medicine. This is a chemotherapy medication that is used in the treatment of lung cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, and neuroblastoma. It is also used in the treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Some side effects include hair loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, low blood cell count, vomiting, fever, low blood pressure, and allergic reaction.

Methotrexate: This medicine is sold under the brand name amethopterin. It is the immune system suppressant and a chemotherapy agent that is used in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, autoimmune disease, medical abortion, lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, lung cancer, gestational trophoblastic disease. 

Some side effects of methotrexate include low white blood cell count, fever, nausea, tiredness, increased risk of infection, breakdown of the skin inside the mouth, lung disease, liver disease, several skin rashes, and lymphoma.

Pembrolizumab: this is formerly known as lambrolizumab sold under the brand name Keytruda. This is a humanized antibody that is used for the treatment of lung cancer, neck cancer, melanoma, head cancer, stomach cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. This is injected intravenously in the vein.

Some common side effects of this drug include fever, cough, nausea, itchiness,  rash, and constipation.

Mechlorethamine hydrochloride: This medication is sold under the brand name Mustargen. This is the derivative of estrogen analog estramustine phosphate which is used in the treatment of prostate cancer and small cell lung cancer.
Some common side effects of this medication include blisters on the skin, infection on the respiratory tract.

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