Ipilimumab: Uses, indications and precautions when using

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Ipilimumab is a medicine used to treat cancer in many organs in the body. Although it is possible to slow down the growth of cancer cells, some patients also experience some side effects during treatment with Ipilimumab, so it is important to be aware of these effects.

1. What effect does Ipilimumab have?

Ipilimumab is a drug to treat many cancer diseases such as skin cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer... , can even stop the growth of cancer cells in the patient's body.
The drug is introduced into the body by intravenous injection as prescribed by the treating doctor, usually injected slowly over a period of 30 - 90 minutes. The specific dose of Ipilimumab is based on the patient's medical condition, weight, and body's response to the effects of the drug on the body. To reduce the risk of side effects, your doctor may prescribe other medications along with Ipilimumab. Medicines should be taken regularly to get the most benefit for the health of the person with cancer.

2. Indications for use of Ipilimumab

Indications for use of Ipilimumab include:
Metastatic melanoma Used as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of melanoma Cancer, malignant diseases Renal cell carcinoma Carcinoma hepatocytes Unstable colorectal microcarcinoma PD-L1 positive, EGFR negative, ALK negative in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer EGFR negative, ALK negative in NSC small

3. Note when taking Ipilimumab

Some common side effects may be fatigue, nausea, vomiting... these symptoms may last longer or be more severe than initially, the patient should immediately notify their treating doctor. Allergic reactions are rare for patients receiving Ipilimumab injection, but it is still important to prevent this dangerous condition by early recognition of signs such as rash, itching, swelling in specific sites such as: face, tongue, throat, or possibly dizziness, difficulty breathing..., at this time it is necessary to take the patient to a medical facility as soon as possible for timely treatment.
In addition, before taking the drug, the patient also needs to tell the doctor about the medical history, especially the history of organ transplantation, immune system disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, lupus erythematosus redness , Crohn's syndrome , ulcerative colitis to avoid adverse effects on the patient's health in these conditions. If the patient is pregnant or planning to become pregnant, Ipilimumab should not be used because it may affect the fetus. Likewise, if you are injecting this drug, actively seek to learn about effective, reliable forms of contraception during and 3 months after stopping the pill. If you experience pregnancy during the injection period, notify your doctor immediately for a suitable solution. Because the drug can pass into breast milk, there are no recommendations to allow use during breastfeeding, and even 3 months after stopping treatment with the drug. Ipilimumab in cancer treatment is a drug that inhibits the growth of malignant cells in many different cancer diseases.

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Reference source: webmd.com