combination chemotherapy
Last reviewed 01/2018
Combinations of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents give 3 advantages in the treatment of cancers:
- different drugs may be effective against a particular tumour but via different mechanisms; using them together may have a synergistic effect
- to avoid cumulative adverse effects drugs of different toxicities can be used
- if more than one drug is used in the treatment regimen then this decreases the chance of resistance to the chemotherapy regimen
All drugs used in combination chemotherapy should have:
- proven activity as single agents
- differing modes of action
- different dose - limiting toxicities if possible