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Community data Updated 22 hours ago

Bleomycin Sulfate

Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Prescription
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Indications

Cancer

Bleomycin Sulfate is indicated for palliation, and as a treatment adjuvant to surgery and radiation therapy, in the following neoplasms: squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, head and neck and oesophagus (primary indication), squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, penis and uterine cervix, squamous cell carcinoma of the bronchus (response infrequent), choriocarcinoma and embryonal cell carcinoma of the testis, advanced Hodgkin's disease and other lymphomas, and mycosis fungoides.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Nobody knows exactly how bleomycin works. The main action is thought to be single and double-strand breaks in DNA, which stop cells from dividing and growing and also stop DNA synthesis in those cells. Bleomycin probably works best on cells in the M and G2 (premitotic) phase of the cell cycle.

In vitro, bleomycin has not been shown to suppress the immune system, and patients treated with it show no significant inhibition of immune response.

An enzyme that inactivates bleomycin has been found in both normal and malignant cells, and it is particularly prominent in the liver. It is not found in the lung or the skin, which are two normal tissues sensitive to the action of bleomycin.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Bleomycin Sulfate is Pregnancy Category D. Nobody knows yet whether the medicine passes into human milk. Many drugs do pass into breast milk, and a nursing infant could have serious adverse reactions, so women who are receiving Bleomycin Sulfate therapy should stop nursing.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Give total doses of over 300,000 IU with great caution. The usual dose is 10,000 to 20,000 IU/m2 of body surface area, given weekly or twice weekly. Another option is 15,000 IU daily for 7 days, then three weeks off treatment, and then the same cycle repeated twice, so that the total dose comes to approximately 300,000 IU. Improvement in lymphomas and testicular tumours is prompt, within two weeks, while the response in squamous cell cancers may take as long as three weeks. A therapeutic response should be seen as the total dose approaches 150,000 IU. If it isn't, consider other therapy. Bleomycin may be given by the intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous or intra-arterial route. Because an anaphylactoid reaction is possible, lymphoma patients should receive test doses of between 1 to 5 units for the first two treatments. If no acute allergic reaction occurs within 4 to 6 hours, the balance of the dose may be given. After that, the regular dosage schedule may be followed, as long as no reaction occurs.

Side Effects & Interactions

Side Effects

No side-effect data recorded yet.