Information for Healthcare Professionals
Cancer research has gone in many directions. Scientists and laboratories are putting their best efforts to find the cure and important advances have been done in this direction. Some of these efforts are oriented to find better treatments. In the past, the location of the tumor was the only condition considered to determine any treatment but all experiences and trails failed in finding an standard regimen for every patient of a given type of cancer. With time, some results determined that besides location both, nature and particular features of the tumor also influence decisively the effectiveness of treatments. In addition, new discoveries about molecular mechanisms of drug response have given a new dimension to the research. In spite of these scientific advances, most of cancer treatment decisions still continue to rely on population based research findings. Nowadays, when physicians recommend the chemotherapy they are also in charge to determine what drugs should be used. Usually, more than one drug is necessary to attack each tumor. To determine what drug or drug combinations must be used, physicians also take into consideration the results of a variety of physical tests such as blood tests, physical examination and medical history of the patient. The final formula is commonly known as a “cocktail” because it contains several drugs and ingredients.