Cancer drugs A to Z list
Cisplatin, fluorouracil (5-FU) and trastuzumab is the name of a cancer drug combination. It includes the drugs we list below. Next to each drug we have how you pronounce the drug name.
cisplatin - (sis-pla-tin)
fluorouracil - (floor-oh-yoor-uh-sil)
trastuzumab - (tras-too-zoo-mab)
Cisplatin and fluorouracil are chemotherapy drugs, and trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a targeted cancer drug.
It is a treatment for stomach cancer that:
has spread to another part of the body (advanced)
has large amounts of HER2 protein (HER2 positive)
The chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and fluorouracil destroy quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells. Trastuzumab works by attaching to HER2 on the surface of cancer cells. HER2 is a protein that makes cells grow and divide, so trastuzumab stops the cancer cells from growing and dividing.
You have these drugs as a drip into your bloodstream (intravenously).
You might have treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment. This can be a:
central line
PICC line
portacath
If you don't have a central line, you might have treatment through a thin short tube (a cannula) that goes into a vein in your arm each time you have treatment.
If you have a central line, you might be able to have fluorouracil through a small pump which slowly puts the fluid into your bloodstream (infusion). You can keep the pump in a small bag or attached to a belt. When the fluorouracil infusion finishes, the nurse blocks the end of the central line with a plastic cap until the start of your next treatment. A district nurse or chemotherapy nurse may be able to do this at home.
Side effects can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatments you're having.
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:
you have severe side effects
your side effects aren’t getting any better
your side effects are getting worse
Early treatment can help manage side effects better.
We haven't listed all the side effects here. Talk to your healthcare team if you have any new symptoms that you think might be a side effect of your treatment.
Remember it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects. But you might have some of them at the same time.
These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (more than 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, cough, headaches, feeling cold and shivery, pain or a burning feeling when peeing, or generally feeling unwell. You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.
Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection.
You might be breathless and look pale due to a drop in red blood cells. This is called anaemia.
This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs. This is known as petechiae.
You might feel very tired and as though you lack energy.
Various things can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, for example exercise. Some research has shown that taking gentle exercise can give you more energy. It is important to balance exercise with resting.
Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. It might help to avoid fatty or fried foods, eat small meals and snacks and take regular sips of water. Relaxation techniques might also help.
It is important to take anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if you don’t feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treat it once it has started.
You might lose your appetite for various reasons while having cancer treatment. Sickness, taste changes or tiredness can put you off food and drinks.
Tell your healthcare team if you have diarrhoea or constipation. They can give you medicine to help.
You might have some hearing loss, especially with high pitched sounds. You might also have some ringing in your ears (tinnitus). Tell your doctor or nurse if you notice any changes.
To help prevent kidney damage, it is important to drink plenty of water. You also have fluids into your vein before, during and after treatment. You have blood tests before your treatments to check how well your kidneys are working.
Tell your healthcare team straightaway if you get a high temperature. Ask them if you can take paracetamol to help lower your temperature.
You may have changes in levels of minerals and salts in your blood, including low levels of sodium or high levels of uric acid (causing gout). You have regular blood tests during treatment to check this.
This drug can cause you to develop a cough or shortness of breath. Less commonly this could be due to infection, such as pneumonia or lung problems such as asthma or a build up of fluid around the heart (pleural effusion). More rarely it might be due to inflammation of the lungs (pneumonitis) or scarring of the lungs.
Let your doctor or nurse know straight away if you suddenly become breathless or develop a cough.
There might be changes to the heart muscle not allowing it to pump blood around the body properly. Less common problems are changes to your heartbeat, angina or heart attack.
During treatment, your blood pressure may be lower or higher than normal. Tell your nurse if you feel dizzy, faint, or if you have headaches, nosebleeds, blurred or double vision, or shortness of breath. Your blood pressure usually goes back to normal while you are on treatment or when treatment ends.
Tell your doctor or nurse straight away if you have any chest pain. Your doctor might ask you to have tests to check your heart, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG).
Mouth sores and ulcers can be painful. It helps to keep your mouth and teeth clean, drink plenty of fluids and avoid acidic foods such as lemons. Chewing gum can help to keep your mouth moist. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have ulcers.
You could lose all your hair. This includes your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarms, legs and sometimes pubic hair. Your hair will usually grow back once treatment has finished but it is likely to be softer. It may grow back a different colour or be curlier than before.
The skin on your hands and feet may become sore, red, or may peel. You may also have tingling, numbness, pain and dryness. This is called hand-foot syndrome or palmar plantar syndrome.
Moisturise your skin regularly. Your healthcare team will tell you what moisturiser to use.
This usually happens with the first or second treatment. Symptoms include a skin rash, itching, feeling hot and shivering. Other symptoms include redness of the face, dizziness, a headache, shortness of breath and anxiety.
You might feel some pain from your muscles and joints. Speak to your doctor or nurse about what painkillers you can take to help with this.
We have some tips for coping with hot flushes in women and hot flushes in men. This information also includes some of the possible treatments. Talk to your doctor if your hot flushes are hard to cope with. They might be able to prescribe some medicines to help.
Skin and nail problems include a skin rash, dry skin, itching and darker skin. Your nails may also become brittle, dry, change colour or develop ridges. This usually goes back to normal when you finish treatment.
Numbness or tingling in fingers or toes is often temporary and can improve after you finish treatment. Tell your healthcare team if you're finding it difficult to walk or complete fiddly tasks such as doing up buttons.
Taste changes may make you go off certain foods and drinks. You may also find that some foods taste different from usual or that you prefer to eat spicier foods. Your taste gradually returns to normal a few weeks after your treatment finishes.
Tell your treatment team if you have this. They can check the cause and give you medicine to help.
You might have eye problems including blurred vision, sore, red, itchy, dry eyes (conjunctivitis) or an infection. Tell your healthcare team if you have this. They can give you eye drops or other medicines to help.
Let your doctor or nurse know if you have headaches. They can give you painkillers. Don’t drive or operate machinery if you feel dizzy.
You may have swelling of your hands and legs due to a build up of fluid (oedema).
If you have difficulty sleeping, it can help to change a few things about how you try to sleep. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day and spend some time relaxing before you go to bed. Some light exercise each day may also help.
You might have a runny nose while having treatment.
This can happen a few hours after treatment. It may include headaches, muscle aches (myalgia), a high temperature and shivering.
If you get a high temperature, let your healthcare team know straight away. Ask them if you can take paracetamol to help lower your temperature.
These side effects happen in between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people (between 1 and 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
inflammation around the drip site
anxiety or depression
shingles
liver problems that are very mild and unlikely to cause symptoms. Rarely you might have yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice)
dry mouth
drowsiness
stinging when you pass urine or urine infection
sore breasts (mastitis)
piles (haemorrhoids)
This side effects happens in fewer than 1 in 100 people (fewer than 1%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
shaking and trembling
a second cancer called acute leukaemia some years after treatment has finished
low levels of magnesium in your blood
problems with your brain that can cause headaches, seizures (fits) and confusion
low levels of albumin in your body that can cause swelling and weakness
sensitivity to sunlight
stomach ulcers and or bleeding in the stomach
changes in the brain that are usually reversible, causing a sudden onset of symptoms including headaches, dizziness, confusion, fits (seizures) and changes to vision (reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome).
This treatment can cause slow wound healing. There isn't enough information to work out how often this side effect might happen. Let your healthcare team know if you notice any wounds that aren't healing.
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We are unable to list all the possible interactions that may happen. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.
Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.
You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant after treatment with these drugs. Talk to your doctor before starting treatment if you think you may want to have a baby in the future.
Men might be able to store sperm before starting treatment. And women might be able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. But these services are not available in every hospital, so you would need to ask your doctor about this.
This treatment might harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or get someone pregnant while you're having treatment and for a few months afterwards.
Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment. Let them know straight away if you or your partner become pregnant while having treatment.
Don’t breastfeed during this treatment because the drug may come through into your breast milk.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
Don’t have immunisations with live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. The length of time depends on the treatment you are having.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.
In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, and yellow fever.
You can usually have:
other vaccines, but they might not give you as much protection as usual
the flu vaccine (as an injection)
the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have a vaccine in relation to your cancer treatment.
You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. If someone has had a live vaccine by mouth or nasal spray there may be a small risk the vaccine virus can be passed onto you if your is weakened.
Your healthcare team will let you know if you need to take any precautions if you are in close contact with someone who has had a live vaccine.
Last reviewed: 07 Jul 2023
Next review due: 07 Jul 2026
Advanced stomach cancer means that a cancer that began in the stomach has spread to at least one other part of the body, such as the liver or lungs.
Chemotherapy is a standard treatment for some types of cancer. It uses anti cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Find out more about Monoclonal antibodies
Cancer drugs have side effects and these can vary from person to person. But there are things that you can do to help you cope.
Coping with cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available. Find out about the emotional, physical and practical effects of cancer and how to manage them.
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