Etoposide

Fact Sheet – Everything You Should Know

In this Etoposide fact sheet, you’ll get to know about the precautions, usage, possible side effects, and the types of cancer that you can treat with this chemo drug.

Etoposide Fact Sheet

Embed this Infographic on your site:

<a href='https://dr-adem.com/etoposide-fact-sheet/'><img src='https://dr-adem.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Etoposide2-scaled.jpg' alt='Etoposide Fact Sheet'/></a>

Here’s the Etoposide fact sheet to get detailed information about Etoposide

It Is Used To Treat These Cancers
(Cancer types that you can treat with this chemo drug)

  • Testis
  • Bladder
  • Prostate
  • Lung
  • Stomach
  • Uterus
  • Lymphoma
  • Kaposi’s sarcoma
  • Wilm’s tumor
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Ewing’s sarcoma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Brain

How To Take it
(What are the forms of application)

  • Intravenous (infusion times varies between 1-6h)
  • Oral

Precautions
(Things that you should avoid)

  • Avoid pregnancy
  • Don’t receive any vaccination
  • Do not take aspirin

Mechanism of Action of Etoposide
(How does the drug affect cancer cells)

Etoposide belongs to the Topoisomerase inhibitors (Topoisomerase II inhibitors subgroup). It forms a complex with DNA and topoisomerase II enzyme, preventing the DNA strands to connect themselves again after they open for replication, breaking the DNA structure definitively. This process causes leads to apoptosis (programmed cellular death).

Drug Interactions
(Medicine that can affect the chemo drug negatively)

  • Lorazepam
  • Diphenhydramine
  • Warfarin
  • Ciprofloxacin
  • Co-trimoxazole
  • Cyclosporine
  • Lexapro
  • Xanax

Reproductive Concerns
(Things that are related to your sexual health)

  • Pregnancy prevention during and until 6 months after the treatment (men and women)
  • Stop breastfeeding
  • Consider sperm freezing if willing to bear children

Possible Side Effects
(Unpleasant effects of the treatment)

  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Menopause
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Low blood pressure: blood pressure needs to be checked before administration
  • Liver toxicity
  • Hair loss
  • Low white blood cells: raise the risk of bacterial infection
  • Low red blood cells: can lead to fatigue, general lack of interest and drive to be active
  • Low platelets: can lead to bleeding (nose, gums) and in extreme cases to internal bleeding (intestinal, brain, joints)
  • Infertility
  • Strong allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock): anti-allergy drugs need to be in the pre-medication

When To Call the doctor
(Emergency that needs professional support)

  • Vomiting (>4 times in 24h): can lead to severe dehydration and electrolyte disbalance
  • Diarrhea (>4 episodes in 24h): can also lead to severe dehydration and electrolyte disbalance
  • Black stool: can be a sign of intestinal bleeding
  • Blood in the urine
  • Extreme fatigue: can be a sign of severe anemia (low blood cells)
  • Fever > 37,8°C