Cytarabine Accord Healthcare
This medicine helps treat certain types of blood cancers (acute leukemias) by disrupting the growth of cancer cells and destroying them.
Form
injektio-/infuusioneste, liuos
Strength
20 mg/ml
Active Ingredient
Cytarabine
Manufacturer
Accord Healthcare B.V.
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will decide your dose based on your condition and body surface area.
Method
This medicine is given as an injection under the skin, into a vein, into a muscle, or into the spinal fluid.
Important
The maximum daily dose will be determined by your doctor.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Fever
- •Abnormal blood cell counts
- •Loss of appetite
- •Difficulty swallowing
- •Stomach pain
- •Nausea
- •Vomiting
- •Reduced consciousness (with high doses)
- •Speech problems (with high doses)
- •Abnormal eye movements (with high doses)
- •Diarrhea
- •Inflammation or sores in the mouth or anus
- •Temporary liver problems (seen as elevated liver enzymes)
- •Skin problems such as redness, blisters, rash, hives, blood vessel inflammation, or hair loss (with high doses)
- •Kidney problems (detectable with blood or urine tests)
- •Abnormally high uric acid levels in the blood
RARE
- •Sore throat
- •Headache
- •Inflammation or sores in the esophagus
- •Brown or black spots on the skin (lentigo)
- •Skin sores
- •Numbness in arms and legs
- •Itching
- •Shortness of breath
- •Muscle and joint pain
- •Blisters or skin breakdown
- •Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- •Dizziness
- •Painful swelling in arms or legs
- •Freckles
- •Rash
- •Chest pain
- •Burning pain in palms and soles
- •Slower pulse or heartbeat than usual
- •Low levels of immature red blood cells (reticulocytes)
- •Low white blood cell count (neutropenia)
- •Feeling unwell and fever due to low white blood cells (febrile neutropenia)
- •Cytarabine syndrome (symptoms like fever, bone and muscle pain, eye irritation, general unwellness, temporary chest pain, rash, and nausea may appear 6-12 hours after treatment starts)
- •Inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord, with symptoms like severe headache, numbness or tingling in hands and legs (after spinal fluid injection)
- •Personality changes
- •Changes in alertness
- •Coordination and balance problems
- •Confusion
- •Sleepiness
- •Tremors
Important Warnings
- Do not use if you are allergic to cytarabine or any other ingredient in this medicine.
- Do not use if your blood cell counts are very low due to a non-cancerous reason, unless your doctor says it's safe.
- Do not use if you have severe coordination problems after radiation therapy or other cancer treatments like methotrexate.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or suspect you are pregnant. Effective contraception is required during and after treatment.
- Tell your doctor if you have weak bone marrow. Treatment must be closely monitored by a doctor.
Show 4 more warnings
- Tell your doctor if you have liver disease. If your liver function is poor before treatment, cytarabine should only be given under close observation.
- Tell your doctor if you have received radiation therapy.
- Tell your doctor if you have had or will have dialysis immediately before or after treatment, as the doctor may need to adjust the timing of your dose.
- This medicine greatly reduces the production of blood cells in the bone marrow, which can increase your risk of infections and bleeding. This effect can last up to a week after treatment ends.