A Patient's Guide to Long-Term Oral Cancer Treatment

A Patient's Guide to Long-Term Oral Cancer Treatment

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Many cancer treatments are now taken by mouth at home. Tamoxifen, letrozole and anastrozole are often taken for five years or more after breast cancer, and generic imatinib is taken every day for chronic myeloid leukaemia. That makes routine and supply just as important as the medicine itself.

Small habits help: take your tablet at the same time each day, keep a pill organiser, and set an alarm. If you miss a dose, check the patient leaflet and never take two at once. Methotrexate is different: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

To read more about day-to-day life on treatment, this article walks through the essentials.

Common side effects: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Letrozole and anastrozole can reduce bone density, so many people have bone scans and advice on calcium and vitamin D. Report chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding promptly.

Order ahead. Reorder when you still have two or three get more info weeks of tablets left, so a delay never causes a gap. Generic versions contain the same active ingredient as the brands and can make long-term treatment more affordable. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

More detail is available in this article.

This article is for general information only. Always check with your oncology team before making any change.

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