![Cancer and mental health](/web/20240804061932im_/https://patient.info/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fxxv4b9mbhlgd%2Fimg_6457%2F8dc87198d55c5770810a41e8b5b955f9%2F8b4f1d5a-a6dc-4bac-8509-739eae6ba184.jpg&w=1600&q=75)
Cancer treatment and drugs
A cancer develops in the body when cells become abnormal and continue to multiply without stopping. There are many different types of cancer and almost any part of the body can be affected. Often, medicines are developed to treat specific types of cancer. For example, tamoxifen and anastrozole are used to treat breast cancer, goserelin and cyproterone are used to treat prostate cancer. Chemotherapy medicines are cytotoxic, which means they kill cancer cells or stop them growing. They are often used along with radiotherapy to reduce the size of a cancer before surgery. Other medicines, called monoclonal antibodies, help the immune system fight cancer cells.
More Information
- Abiraterone for prostate cancer
- Anastrozole for breast cancer
- Bexarotene capsules
- Bicalutamide - an anti-androgen for men
- Buserelin for men
- Busulfan tablets
- Capecitabine tablets
- Chlorambucil tablets
- Cyclophosphamide
- Cyproterone - an anti-androgen for men
- Darbepoetin alfa
- Dasatinib
- Diethylstilbestrol tablets
- Enzalutamide for prostate cancer
- Erlotinib tablets
- Estramustine for prostate cancer
- Everolimus tablets
- Exemestane for breast cancer
- Fluorouracil for sun-damaged skin
- Flutamide - an anti-androgen for men
- Fulvestrant for breast cancer
- Gefitinib tablets
- Goserelin implant
- Hydroxycarbamide
- Hydroxyurea capsules
- Ibandronic acid tablets and injection
- Idarubicin capsules
- Imatinib tablets
- Imiquimod cream
- Lapatinib tablets
- Letrozole for breast cancer
- Lomustine capsules
- Melphalan tablets
- Mercaptopurine
- Methotrexate
- Nabilone capsules
- Nilotinib capsules
- Pamidronate disodium
- Phenoxybenzamine - an alpha-blocker
- Ponatinib tablets
- Procarbazine capsules
- Sodium clodronate
- Sorafenib tablets
- Sunitinib capsules
- Tamoxifen for breast cancer
- Temozolomide for brain cancer
- Tioguanine
- Toremifene for breast cancer
- Treosulfan capsules
- Tretinoin capsules
- Vandetanib tablets