This patient-friendly article is about chemotherapy drug, Cisplatin which is used for stomach, oesophagael, ovarian, testicular, melanoma, lung and bladder cancers and is similar in many respects to carboplatin. It is a general chemotherapy drug, a platinum based agent which binds with DNA and disrupts its replication. It is thought to be more toxic than carboplatin, particularly to the kidneys.
Side effects and considerations:
* A warning from MedLine runs - Cisplatin can cause serious liver problems. (Old people are more susceptible).
* Aminoglycoside antibiotics are conta-indicated.
* Cisplatin can also cause severe allergic reactions.
* New research shows that it can also cause high frequency hearing loss.
* You should not breast feed, nor become pregnant while receiving cisplatin.
* There is 2011 research that possibly omega-3 from fish oils may block the drug’s action.
Readers should note the following article from Cancer Watch 2010:
Cisplatin side-effects with Testicular cancer
Chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer is highly successful. Indeed Testicular cancer and child leukaemia are both held up as examples of cancers that modern medicine can cure. However, as with recent findings on childhood leukaemia, side-effects in Testicular cancer patients may occur long after the treatment is over.
According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Oslo (published in BJUI) which reviewed 40 case histories of patients between 1990 and 2008, 30 per cent of patients undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy suffered damage to their sensory nerves, 20 per cent of testicular cancer survivors suffered hearing loss or ringing in their ears; 17 per cent suffered chronic fatigue (twice the rate of the general population); and 25 per cent suffered long-term damage to their circulatory systems. Testicular cancer survivors also have 1.8 times normal risk of developing cancer in the future.
The best way to reduce the risk of dangerous side effects, said the lead researcher, is to maintain an active lifestyle and healthy weight, avoid tobacco, and for doctors to ’provide adequate follow-up for patients who could develop life-threatening toxicity’.
Go to: 10 ways to improve your chemotherapy success and reduce side-effects
Other articles that you may find interesting are:
- A diet for Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy overview
- A to Z Guide to Complementary Therapies
Go to: Return to the CANCERactive drug list