Zevalin: Uses, indications and cautions when using

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1. What are the uses of Zevalin?

Zevalin Kit contains Ibritumomab, which is used in combination with the radioactive Yttrium-90 and used with rituximab to treat a type of cancer, non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma, in patients whose cancer has recurred or unresponsive to other treatment.
Ibritumomab and rituximab are known as monoclonal antibodies, they work by killing certain blood and cancer cells from the immune system (B cells), while Yttrium-90 helps destroy the cells cancer .

2. How to use Zevalin

Zevalin is a drug to be administered intravenously by professional medical personnel. The dose of Zevalin is calculated based on the patient's medical condition, weight and response to treatment.

3. Side effects of the drug Zevalin

Zevalin may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, stomach pain, cough, dizziness, headache, flushing, or loss of appetite. If any of the effects of Zevalin last or get worse, tell your doctor right away.
People using Zevalin may have serious side effects. However, doctors prescribed Zevalin because they judged that the benefits outweighed the risk of side effects. Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects of Zevalin including: pain, swelling at the injection site, swollen ankles, swelling of the feet, mental changes such as anxiety, black stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, vaginal bleeding.
Rare but very serious side effects of Zevalin: weakness on one side of the body, vision problems, confusion, slurred speech. Zevalin rarely causes other types of cancer (including myelodysplastic syndrome - MDS, acute myeloid leukemia - AML), which can lead to very serious blood disorders.
Very serious allergic reactions to Zevalin are very rare with symptoms including: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing.
Rituximab - a medicine used with ibritumomab, which rarely causes serious side effects (death), including serious breathing problems (e.g., hypoxia, lung infiltrates , acute respiratory distress syndrome ) or heart problems (eg, heart attack, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure).
These effects usually occur within 30 minutes to 2 hours after rituximab injection and the risk of these effects is greater with the first treatment. Seek immediate medical attention if patient has any signs such as difficulty breathing (difficulty breathing, wheezing), itching, swelling, severe dizziness, fast - slow - irregular heartbeat, pain chest.

4. Notes when using Zevalin

Before using Zevalin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if the patient is allergic to Ibritumomab or the other drugs in the treatment plan (rituximab, Yttrium-90) or to any other allergies.
Before using Zevalin, patients need to tell their doctor or pharmacist their medical history, especially blood and bone marrow disorders (eg, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia), infection status. recent or current match.
Zevalin can make users dizzy. Patients being treated with Zevalin should not drive, use machines, or do anything that cannot be safe.
Patients do not get vaccinated without the consent of the doctor, avoid contact with people who have recently received polio vaccine or inhaled influenza vaccine.
People who are sick need to wash their hands frequently to prevent the spread of infections.
Zevalin is made from human blood, although the blood has been carefully tested and has gone through a special manufacturing process, there is still a very small chance that the patient may develop a drug-induced infection (viral infection). withdrawal as hepatitis).
Tell the doctor if the patient is pregnant or planning to become pregnant as it is not recommended to become pregnant while taking ibritumomab as ibritumomab can harm the unborn baby.
Women and men using Zevalin should ask their doctors about reliable forms of birth control during treatment and for 12 months after stopping treatment. If the patient or partner becomes pregnant, talk to the doctor right away about the risks and benefits of Zevalin.
Zevalin can cause very serious blood disorders (decreased bone marrow function leading to low blood cell counts such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets). This effect can cause anemia, reduce the body's ability to fight infections, or make it easier for the body to bruise or bleed. Tell the doctor right away if the patient develops any of the following symptoms: signs of infection (fever, sore throat), easy bruising, easy bleeding, unusual tiredness, fast/pounding heart .
Serious skin reactions have occurred very rarely (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome) in patients receiving this regimen. These reactions may occur during treatment or days to months after treatment is completed.
If the patient has previously had a serious skin reaction to ibritumomab tiuxetan or other drug(s) used in the regimen (eg, rituximab, yttrium), do not restart this regimen.

5. Zevalin drug interactions

Drug interactions can change the way Zevalin works or increase your risk of serious side effects. Some products that may interact with Zevalin include: drugs that affect the immune system (azathioprine, cyclosporine, corticosteroids such as prednisone), drugs that can cause bleeding or bruising (warfarin/heparin, antiaggregants). platelets including NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin
Low-dose aspirin should be continued if prescribed by your doctor to prevent and treat heart attack or stroke (usually at doses of 81-325 mg per day).
Symptoms of Zevalin overdose may include: signs of infection (fever, persistent sore throat), easy bruising, easy bleeding, unusual tiredness, fast, pounding heart. Laboratory tests such as complete blood count, platelet count, blood pressure) should be performed periodically to monitor disease progression or check for side effects from Zevalin.
To get the best benefit, it is important that the patient take their scheduled dose of Zevalin as directed. If you miss a dose of Zevalin, contact your doctor to set up a new dosing schedule.
Zevalin is a medicine that is given in a hospital, so it will not be stored at home.

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Reference source: webmd.com