Cancer is treated with a wide variety of drugs. The following tables contain descriptions of the drugs described on the CancerQuest website. They are not intended to be comprehensive lists of cancer drugs. Instead, they provide easy ways to find information on some of the most common cancer treatments. It is possible for a drug to appear in more than one table.
This section contains the following tables :
- Chemotherapy Drugs
- Hormonal, Biological, and Antibody-based Treatment Tables
- Targeted Therapies
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Chemotherapy Drugs
Below is a table of chemotherapy drugs discussed in this website. To go directly to the page where a particular drug is discussed, click on the name. For an explanation of the type of drug, click on the type of chemotherapy listed. If you have trouble finding a particular drug, go to edit on your browser and use the Find on Page feature.
More information on these drugs can be found at the FDA Approved Drugs website and/or the Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine Online. This site is only available to those with a subscription. A hardcopy version of the book is available from McGraw Hill Publishers
Hormonal, Biological, and Antibody-based Treatment Tables
Hormonal Treatments
This table lists the hormonal treatments discussed in this website. To go directly to the page where a particular drug is discussed, click on the name. If you have trouble finding a particular drug, go to edit (or press Ctrl+F or Apple+F) on your browser and use the Find on Page feature.
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Type of Hormonal Treatment |
| Anastrozole | Arimidex® | Aromatase Inhibitor |
| Bicalutamide | Casodex® | Exemestane |
| Exemestane | Aromasin® | Aromatase Inhibitor |
| Flutamide | Eulexin® | Specific Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) |
| Fulvestrant | Faslodex® | Estrogen Receptor Down-Regulator |
| Letrozole | Femara® | Aromatase Inhibitor |
| Megestrol | Megace® | Additional Hormonal Treatments |
| Raloxifene | Evista® | Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) |
| Tamoxifen | Nolvadex® | Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) |
| Toremifene | Fareston® | Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) |
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Type of Drug |
| Aldesleukin, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) | Proleukin® | BRM |
| Alpha Interferon | Intron®, Roferon®-A | BRM |
| Imiquimod | Aldara® | BRM |
| Lenalidomide | Revlimid® | BRM |
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Type of Drug |
| Alemtuzumab | Campath® | Antibody |
| Bevacizumab | Avastin® | Antibody |
| Gemtuzumab | Mylotarg® | Antibody |
| Ibritumomab | Zevalin® | Antibody |
| Rituximab | Rituxan®, Mabthera® | Antibody |
| Tositumomab | Bexxar® | Antibody |
| Trastuzumab | Herceptin® | Antibody |
More information on these drugs can be found at the FDA Approved Drugs website and/or the Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine Online. This site is only available to those with a subscription. A hardcopy version of the book is available from McGraw Hill Publishers
Targeted Therapies
The table below lists targeted therapy drugs discussed on this website. To go directly to the page where a particular drug is discussed, click on the name. If you have trouble finding a particular drug, go to edit (or press Ctrl+F) on your browser and use the Find on Page feature.
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Mechanism of Action |
| Asparaginase | Elspar® | Enzyme Activator |
| Bevacizumab | Avastin® | Angiogenesis Inhibitors |
| Bexarotene | Targretin® | Drug that Affects a Molecular Receptor |
| Bortezomib | Velcade® | Proteosome Inhibitor |
| Denileukin diftitox | ONTAK® | Drug that Affects a Molecular Receptor |
| Gefitinib | Iressa® | Kinase Inhibitor |
| Imatinib Mesylate | Gleevec®, Glivec® | Kinase Inhibitor |
| Lapatinib | Tykerb® | Kinase Inhibitor |
| Sorafenib | Nexavar® | Kinase Inhibitor |
| Sunitinib | Sutent® | Kinase Inhibitor |
More information on these drugs can be found at the FDA Approved Drugs website and/or the Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine Online. This site is only available to those with a subscription. A hardcopy version of the book is available from McGraw Hill Publishers
More information on this topic may be found in Chapter 16 of The Biology of Cancer by Robert A. Weinberg.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
| CAM Classification |
CAM Therapy |
| Animal Derived | Coenzyme Q10, Shark Cartilage |
| Mind-Body Techniques | Hypnosis, Prayer, Spirituality, Support Groups, Yoga, Tai Chi |
| Phytochemicals | Anthocyanin, Cannabis and Hemp Oil, Curcumin, EGCG, Lycopene, Phytoestrogens, Pycnogenol, Resveratrol, Selenium, Essiac®, Flor-Essence® |
| Product / Treatment Plan | Controlled Amino Acid Therapy, Essiac®, Flor-Essence®, Homeopathy |
| Man-made chemicals | DCA |
| Biological Process Affected |
CAM Therapy |
| Angiogenesis | Curcumin, DCA, EGCG, Shark Cartilage, Resveratrol |
| Apoptosis | Anthocyanin, Curcumin, DCA, EGCG, Lycopene, Resveratrol, Selenium |
| Inflammation | Anthocyanin, Pycnogenol |
| Metabolism | DCA |
| Metastasis | Curcumin, Resveratrol |
| Oxidation (i.e. Antioxidants) |
Anthocyanin, Curcumin, EGCG, Essiac®, Flor-Essence®, Lycopene, Phytoestrogens, Pycnogenol |
| Proliferation | Anthocyanin, Coenzyme Q10, Curcumin, EGCG, Selenium |
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