| “Magic Bullets” – Are They Free of Side Effects?
By Ng Hui Cheng, Oncology Pharmacist, NCC
Chemotherapy has always been known to cause mild, moderate or even severe side effects that can affect patients’ quality of life. Common side effects include hair loss, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, tiredness, and the list goes on.
Now a new generation of drug treatment has appeared, it is known as Molecular Targeted Therapy. It refers to a group of drugs that specifically target cancer cells, leaving the other cells unharmed; hence they are regarded as “Magic Bullets”.
Since these drugs only target cancer cells, they are usually thought to be free of side effects. However, is this really the true? The answer is, No.
Below is a tabulation of the commonly used molecular targeted drugs and their associated side effects:
| Name of drug |
Possible side effects |
Less common side effects |
Cetuximab
(Erbitux ®) |
Acne-like rash, body discomfort and weakness, fever, mild-to-moderate nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. |
Allergic reaction (include skin rashes and itching, a feeling of swelling in the tongue or throat, irritation of the nasal passages, wheezing, cough and breathlessness), headache, body ache, constipation, lower resistance to infection. |
Rituximab
(Mabthera ®) |
Flu like symptoms (including fever and chills, weakness, tiredness, low blood pressure, muscle aches, dizziness and headaches, allergic reaction (include skin rashes and itching, a feeling of swelling in the tongue or throat, irritation of the nasal passages, wheezing, cough and breathlessness), flushing. |
Diarrhea, vomiting, appetite loss, anxiety, depression, joint ache. |
| Trastuzumab
(Herceptin ®) |
Fever and chills during infusion, headache, rash, nausea, diarrhea, back pain, stomachache, appetite loss, cough, breathlessness. |
vomiting Bone pain, joint pain, depression, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, flu-like symptoms. |
Gefitinib
(Iressa ®) |
Acne-like rash, dry skin, diarrhea, nausea, eye problems. |
Itch, appetite loss, weight loss, tiredness. |
Imatinib
(Glivec ®) |
Nausea, diarrhea, legs ache/cramps, swelling of the face and around the eyes, watery eyes, itchy rash, low blood counts. |
Flu-like symptoms. |
The side effects listed above were reported in clinical trials. There may be others that are not listed in the table. It is also important to note that every individual’s experience with side effects may differ.
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