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

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

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Several common cancer medicines are now daily tablets. Letrozole, anastrozole and tamoxifen 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.

Make it a habit: take your tablet at the same time each day, keep a pill organiser, and set a phone reminder. 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 more info life on treatment, this practical guide covers routines, side effects and questions for your oncologist.

Common side effects: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Aromatase inhibitors 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.

Plan your supply. Reorder when you still have two or three weeks of tablets left, so a delay never causes a gap. Generic tablets contain the same active ingredient as the brands and usually cost far less. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

More detail is available here.

This is general information, not medical advice. Always check with your oncology team before making any change.

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