DOXIL—What to Expect What to Expect

Before Treatment
Taking an active role in your care will help you foster an open, productive partnership with your healthcare team. Be sure to talk to your doctor or nurse about how you feel or any concerns you may have.

Knowledge is power. Educate yourself and your family and friends about:

During Treatment
DOXIL is given by intravenous (IV) infusion, normally in the doctor’s office or in a clinic. Your treatment will usually take approximately one hour, although the first treatment may be longer. You will typically receive DOXIL treatments every 4 weeks for a minimum of 4 courses. However, speak with your doctor or nurse for your exact treatment schedule.

A rise in CA-125 levels may seem troubling. However, CA-125 is only one of the many indicators of how you may be doing. A single CA-125 test is never definitive. For this reason, serial testing of CA-125 is very useful during therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer. In addition, CA-125 is only one indicator of response. It is important to remember that while CA-125 can aid the process of diagnosis and treatment decisions in recurrent ovarian cancer, it is not often used as the only tool for screening or monitoring treatment response. If you are concerned about your CA-125 results, talk to your doctor. Work with your healthcare team to understand what tests are being used to evaluate your progress.

Continuing Treatment
It is important to complete the first four cycles of DOXIL therapy as long as you do not clinically progress, continue to tolerate treatment, and show no evidence of cardiotoxicity because clinical trials have shown this is the median time to response. If DOXIL is well-tolerated, your physician may decide to continue your DOXIL treatment for as long as you are seeing a benefit to therapy.

 


 

Doxil (doxorubicin HCl), is a prescription medicine that is administered intravenously by your healthcare professional. DOXIL is used to treat patients with ovarian cancer that has progressed or recurred after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Please read Important Safety Information below, and talk to your healthcare professional to learn more about DOXIL.


Important Safety Information

Serious and possibly permanent heart-related side effects that may lead to congestive heart failure can occur in patients treated with DOXIL. Inform your doctor of any history of heart disease, radiation to your chest, or prior chemotherapy. Your doctor may monitor your heart function.

Infusion reactions may occur during administration. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have any symptoms during infusion, including: flushing, shortness of breath, facial swelling, headaches, chills, back pain, tightness in your chest or throat, dizziness, or lightheadedness. For most patients, these reactions have resolved within several hours to a day once the infusion is stopped, or for some patients with slowing of the infusion rate. However, in some cases, these reactions may be serious and sometimes life threatening, though they are rarely fatal.

DOXIL may severely reduce the number of blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) in your body. Your doctor may adjust or delay your dose of DOXIL if this occurs.

Your doctor may adjust your dose of DOXIL if you have liver problems.

You should not take DOXIL if you are nursing. If you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant, inform your doctor.

You should not take DOXIL if you are allergic to doxorubicin HCI or the components of DOXIL.

The most common side effects of DOXIL are:

  • Hand-Foot Syndome (HFS): Tingling or burning, redness, flaking, bothersome swelling, small blisters, or small sores on palms of hands or soles of feet
  • Stomatitis: Painful redness, swelling, or sores in the mouth
  • Fever: A fever of 100.5oF or higher
  • Neutropenia: Low white blood cell count
  • Nausea, vomiting, tiredness, weakness, rash, shortness of breath, or mild hair loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea

Be sure to tell your doctor immediately if you experience any of these or other symptoms.

DOXIL may make the side effects of other anticancer therapies worse when used in combination.

Following administration, DOXIL may turn urine and other bodily fluids a reddish-orange color. This is due to the color of DOXIL and will go away as the drug leaves the body.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

Please click here for full Product Information in PDF format,for more details.

 

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