Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is a most common type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). The treatment for this Blood Cancer is by under-go Chemotherapy. To be more specific the chemotherapy is the combination of Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide or also called cytoxan or Neosar, Doxorubicin( or Adriamycin), Oncovin (or Vincristine) and Prednisolone. The combination of this drug is call R-CHOP.
What is Rituximab?Rituximab is a special group of controlled drugs called "monoclonal antibodies".The goal of Ritxumab is to inactivates the defective B-Cell and eliminates them. Rituximab only targeted molecule called CD20 that present on the surface of B-cell. Because of this very spefici function, it does not produce ill effects on nornal cell in the body.
Cylophosphamide or cytoxcan is a powder that dissolves to form colourless liquid.It is belongs to a class of drugs known as alkylating agents.Cyclophosphamide blocks the production of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in cells which resulting to the cell cannot reproduce new cell. Thus it leading to the cell death. Some of the cells affected by this medication are immune cells.
Doxorubicin is an anthracycline antibiotic with antineoplastic activity.Doxorubicin works by stopping the cancer cells from dividing and multiplying. This kills the cancer cells and stops the cancer growing. How does this doxorubicin works is not known but it seems to it jobs in three ways. Firstly, it bind into the strands of genetic material (DNA) inside the cancer cells. This prevents the cells from making genetic material (DNA and RNA) and proteins. It also appears to interfere with an enzyme called topoisomerase II, which is involved in DNA replication. This stops the cancer cells growing and multiplying. Finally it can also form free radicals, which are molecules capable of damaging the cancer cells.
Unfortunately, anticancer medicines also affect normal, healthy cells, particularly those that multiply quickly such as blood, gut and hair cells. The most important side effect is usually on the bone marrow where blood cells are made. Doxorubicin can decrease the production of white blood cells, leaving people susceptible to infection. Regular blood tests are therefore needed to monitor levels of blood cells.
The doxorubicin in this medicine is contained in tiny spheres called pegylated liposomes. These spheres allow the doxorubicin to remain in the bloodstream for longer so that a greater amount is delivered to the cancerous cells, rather than to healthy tissue. This may result in fewer side effects than standard doxorubicin.
Oncovin or Vincristine is administered intravenously and is used to treat many different types of cancer. Vincristine binds to the tubulin monomers preventing the formation of spindle microtubules. By binding to the building blocks of microtubules, vincristine disables the cell's mechanism for aligning and moving the chromosomes. Vincristine stops the separation of the duplicated chromosomes and prevents cell division. While vincristine works to keep the cancer cells from dividing, it does not selectively inhibit cancer cell division. It can also halt the division of some healthy cells, leading to some of the common side effects.
Prednisolone is chemically related to Hydrocortisone, one of the steroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland (adrenal cortex) which plays a complex role in regulating body functions.One way that it works is to decrease inflammation (swelling). It does this by preventing infection- fighting white blood cells (polymorphonuclear leukocytes) from traveling to the area of swelling in your body. (This is why you are more prone to infection while taking steroids). Taking advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of the medication, corticosteroids are used to decrease the swelling around tumors. For example, by decreasing swelling around tumors in the spine, brain, or bone, it can decrease the pressure of the tumor on nerve endings and relieve pain or other symptoms caused by the pressing tumor.
Another way Prednisolone works is by altering the body's normal immune system responses. Corticosteroids are used to treat certain conditions that effect the immune system such as aplastic anemia (AA), Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP), or hemolytic anemia.
In addition, it is thought that corticosteroids may help in the treatment of patients with blood disorders, such as multiple myeloma. Corticosteroids may work by causing programmed cell death (apoptosis) of certain cells, which may help to fight your disease.
Corticosteroids are also used in the short-term treatment of nausea caused by chemotherapy. How it does this is not fully understood. They also have been used to stimulate appetite for patients with severe appetite problems.
Notes: The information above is copy from numberous website and I reserve no right on all of this work. It is just an attempt to provide useful information to cancer pation with Diffuse Large B- Cell Lymphoma. My Lovely wife is one of the cancer patient. She is suffering DLBCL.
