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. 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.

Make it a habit: take your tablet at the same time each day, keep a pill organiser, click here and set an alarm. If you miss a dose, check the patient leaflet and never take two at once. Weekly methotrexate is the exception: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

To read more about day-to-day life on treatment, read the full guide here covers routines, side effects and questions for your oncologist.

What you may notice: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Aromatase inhibitors can reduce bone density, so many people have bone scans and regular check-ups. 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 can make long-term treatment more affordable. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

You can read more in this guide.

This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.

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