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Common Reactions to Liposomal Doxorubicin
from eMedTV.comCommon Side Effects of Liposomal Doxorubicin
Liposomal doxorubicin has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials. In these studies, the side effects that occurred in a group of people given the drug were documented. These studies did not compare liposomal doxorubicin to a placebo, since it would have been unethical to give people placebo chemotherapy.The prescribing information for liposomal doxorubicin contains side effect information taken from studies that used this product alone or in combination with other chemotherapy medications. To help distinguish between side effects caused by liposomal doxorubicin and those probably caused by the other medications, the following information was taken only from studies that used liposomal doxorubicin alone, without combining it with other chemotherapy medications.
In clinical trials, the most common liposomal doxorubicin side effects included:
- Low blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) -- in up to 60.9 percent of people
- Anemia -- up to 50.8 percent
- Low levels of a certain type of white blood cell known as neutrophils (neutropenia) -- up to 48.9 percent
- Hand-foot syndrome (pain, redness, and swelling of the palms and soles) -- up to 50.6 percent
- Nausea -- up to 46 percent
- Mouth sores -- up to 41.4 percent
- Weakness -- up to 40.2 percent
- Vomiting -- up to 32.6 percent
- Rash -- up to 28.5 percent.
Other common reactions to liposomal doxorubicin (occurring in 1 to 22 percent of people) included but were not limited to:
- Fever
- Back pain
- Infection
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Dizziness
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Hair loss (see Doxil and Hair Loss)
- Thrush.
Liposomal doxorubicin can cause discoloration of the urine, which may look like blood in your urine. However, this is normal and is not dangerous.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD