Doxorubicin (Intravenous Route)

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Doxorubicin (Intravenous Route)

US Brand Names

Description

Doxorubicin belongs to the general group of medicines known as antineoplastics. It is used to treat some kinds of cancers of the blood; lymph system; bladder; breast; stomach; lung; ovaries; thyroid; nerves; kidneys; bones; and soft tissues, including muscles and tendons. It may also be used to treat other kinds of cancer, as determined by your doctor.

Doxorubicin seems to interfere with the growth of cancer cells, which are then eventually destroyed by the body. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by doxorubicin, other effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects, like hair loss, may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur until months or years after the medicine is used.

Before you begin treatment with doxorubicin, you and your doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.

Doxorubicin is to be administered only by or under the supervision of your doctor.

Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, doxorubicin is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

• Autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)–associated Kaposi's sarcoma (a type of cancer of the skin and mucous membranes that is more common in patients with AIDS)
• Cancer of the adrenal cortex (the outside layer of the adrenal gland)
• Cancer of the cervix
• Cancer of the endometrium
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Cancers of the head and neck
• Cancer of the liver
• Cancer of the pancreas
• Cancer of the prostate
• Cancer of the thymus (a small organ found under the breast bone)
• Carcinoid tumors
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (a type of cancer of the blood and lymph system)
• Ewing's sarcoma (a type of cancer found in the bone)
• Gestational trophoblastic tumors (tumors in the uterus or womb)
• Hepatoblastoma (a certain type of liver cancer that occurs in children)
• Multiple myeloma (a certain type of cancer of the blood)
• Non–small cell lung cancer (a certain type of lung cancer usually associated with prior smoking, passive smoking, or radon exposure)
• Retinoblastoma (a type of eye cancer found primarily in children)
• Tumors in the ovaries

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

• Powder for Solution
• Solution

Copyright © 2013 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.