In order to avoid cardiomyopathy, the dose should be carefully calculated according to body surface area. Usually < 500 mg/m2
Mode of action
- Anthracycline. Damages DNA by intercalation and inhibits topoisomerase II
Indications/Dose
- Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), Breast cancer, Recurrent ovarian carcinoma
- Treatment of local advanced or metastasized bladder carcinoma
- Intravesical prophylaxis of recurrences of superficial bladder carcinoma following transurethral resection
- Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy of osteosarcoma
- Advanced soft-tissue sarcoma in adults
- Ewing's sarcoma, Hodgkin's disease
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, ALL, AML,
- Advanced multiple myeloma, Advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma,
- Wilms' tumour, Advanced papillary/follicular thyroid cancer
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer, Advanced neuroblastoma
- Doxorubicin can be given by intravesical instillation for treatment of superficial cancer of the bladder and to prevent relapse after transurethral resection (T.U.R).
Interactions
- Pre-treatment with Digoxin (starting 7 days before doxorubicin) showed a protective effect against cardiotoxicity
Cautions
- Assess Cardiac function before treatment
- Advise patient to seek help if your temperature goes over 37.5 C depending on the advice given by your chemotherapy team you suddenly feel unwell, even with a normal temperature you have symptoms of an infection - this can include feeling shaky, a sore throat, a cough, diarrhoea or needing to pass urine a lot.
Contraindications
- Infection, Low WCC, liver disease
Side effects
- Urinary discolouration (red)
- Myelosuppression (Low WCC, HB, plt), Alopecia
- Cardiomyopathy with high cumulative dose
References