Details

Doxorubicin is a cancer medication that interferes with the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body. Doxorubicin is used to treat different types of cancers that affect the breast, bladder, ovary, thyroid, stomach, lungs, bones, nerve tissues, muscles, joints, and soft tissues. Doxorubicin is also used to treat Hodgkin's disease and certain types of leukaemia. Doxorubicin can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. You may get an infection or bleed more easily. To make sure doxorubicin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease bone marrow suppression heart disease or if you have been treated before with doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, or mitoxantrone Using doxorubicin may increase your risk of developing a bone marrow disease or other types of cancer, such as leukaemia. Do not use doxorubicin if you are pregnant.

Typical Uses

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline type of chemotherapy that is used alone or with other treatments/medications to treat several different types of cancer. Doxorubicin works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.

Side Effects

Some of the side effects of doxorubicin include feeling short of breath (even with mild exertion), swelling, rapid weight gain fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat pale skin, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, feeling like you might pass out fast, slow, or uneven heartbeats anxiety, sweating, severe shortness of breath, wheezing, gasping for breath chest pain, sudden cough, cough with foamy mucus, rapid breathing, coughing up blood lower back pain, blood in your urine, little or no urinating numbness or tingly feeling around your mouth, weak pulse, overactive reflexes, confusion, fainting muscle weakness, tightness, or contraction or pain, burning, irritation, or skin changes where the injection was given. Doxorubicin may cause your urine to turn a reddish-orange colour. This side effect by itself is usually not harmful.

Drug Interactions

• Doxorubicin+adalimumab- Using adalimumab together with doxorubicin may increase the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening infections. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications.

• Doxorubicin+bepridil- Using doxorubicin together with bepridil can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances.

• Doxorubicin+ceritinib- Using doxorubicin together with ceritinib can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances.

• Doxorubicin+fingolimod- Before starting fingolimod, let your doctor know if you are currently receiving treatment with doxorubicin. Using fingolimod in this situation can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious or life-threatening. This is most likely to occur early on after you start treatment with fingolimod, especially within the first 20 hours after the first dose. On the other hand, it may be alright for you to use these medications together if you have been stable on fingolimod therapy for over a month while you start treatment wi

Mechanism of action

Doxorubicin is anti-cancer or antineoplastic chemotherapy drug that belongs to a class of medication called anthracyclines. It slows down or stops the growth of cancer cells by interfering with DNA of the cancer cell.

Pregnancy Category : D