Oral therapies are often the alternative to eradicate cancer, but access to these drugs in the country is still a challenge.
The concern of specialists about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on cancer treatment has fueled the discussion on access to oral chemotherapy, as this type of medicine allows treatment to be carried out at home. Far beyond convenience, however, oral therapies are often the best or only treatment option. Therefore, specialists are recommending more speed in the incorporation of these drugs into coverage by health plans and the Unified Health System (SUS).
“Chemotherapy is a class of drugs that act as antineoplastics, that is, they inhibit the disordered division of cells. “Today some of these drugs can be taken orally and the body ends up metabolizing the same compound present in the intravenous form”.
According to the specialist, oral chemotherapy drugs work in different types of cancer, but not in all, and their use is especially indicated in breast, digestive system and colorectal cancers. “The pills are effective in cases where the intravenous version also works. Sometimes, oral chemotherapy replaces the conventional one. In others, it comes in as a complement to treatment. And it is usually indicated for advanced disease.”
Besides chemo
The list of oral medications is not limited to chemotherapy. This is the case with hormone therapy or hormone blockade. With action on hormone-dependent tumors, blockers are used to treat hormone-receptor breast cancer and prostate cancer. One such pill, for example, inhibits the action of estrogen in the breast cell. It does not slow down the natural production of the hormone, but it prevents it from binding to cancer cells. “The effects of the drug are similar to those of menopause because the body is like an engine without petrol. The fuel is there, but he can’t use it”, compares Laura Testa.
Targeted therapy, which can also be given in pill form, comprises a large and diverse group of drugs. They act on specific targets to fight breast cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, melanoma. The precise action of this type of therapy makes it able to prevent the multiplication of cancer cells, while preserving the healthy ones. “It is a resource widely used in metastatic diseases, in some cases in combination with chemotherapy,” says Marina Sahade, doctor of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital Oncology Center, in São Paulo.
“Targeted therapies, such as cyclin inhibitors, used in the treatment of advanced breast cancer, are an example that, in addition to significant clinical results, priority can also be given to the patient’s well-being in such a delicate period of these people’s lives, reducing side effects and allowing the drug to be administered at home,” says Renato Carvalho, president of Novartis Brazil.
Not to mention that oral drugs are sometimes the only way to present innovative therapies. “Today we have a good number of drugs that do not have an intravenous counterpart and are the alternative in certain cases,” notes Laura Testa.
The problem is that, unlike products for intravenous administration, which health insurance companies are obliged to cover as soon as they are approved by Anvisa, an oral medicine must go through the revision of the list of the National Agency for Integrative Health (Ans) to be available. “In the SUS there is also this delay in incorporation, which is serious, because it is convenient to give a drug orally, it does not take up space, it does not involve the work of health teams, this wait is nonsense,” says Marina Sahade.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
