Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is a medicine used for treatment of cancer in various parts of the body such as cervical, cancer of the mouth, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, larynx, esophagus, and skin. It works by interfering with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed.
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection may be used alone or with other medicines as part of combination therapy. It is given under the supervision of a healthcare professional and should not be self-administered. Your doctor will decide what dose is necessary and how often you need to take it. This will depend on what you are being treated for and may change from time to time. You should take it exactly as your doctor has advised. Taking it in the wrong way or taking too much can cause very serious side effects. It may take several weeks or months for you to see or feel the benefits but do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to. You should avoid drinking alcohol as it may increase your risk of liver damage.
The most common side effects of this medicine include fever, loss of appetite, loss of hair, weight loss, nausea, inflammation of the lungs (interstitial pneumonia), shortness of breath or cough. If they do not go away or get worse, tell your doctor. There may be ways of preventing or reducing these effects. It is very strong medicine and some people may develop serious side effects while taking it. This medicine may lower your ability to fight infections and lead to problems with your blood, liver or kidneys. Your doctor will advise you regular blood tests to check for these.
Before taking it, tell your doctor if you have stomach, liver, or kidney problems or are taking any medicines to treat infections. Many other medicines can affect, or be affected by, this medicine so let your doctor know all medications you are using. This medicine is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. It may harm your baby. You and your partner should avoid becoming pregnant or fathering a child for several months after your treatment with it has stopped. Your doctor may perform several tests such as blood tests, X-rays and physical examinations both before and during treatment with this medicine.
Cancer of mouth, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, larynx, oesophagus
Benefits of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection
In Cervical cancer
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is an anti-cancer medicine that is used to kill cancerous cells in various kinds of cancer such as cervical cancer, cancer of mouth, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, larynx, oesophagus and skin cancer. It may be given alone or in combination with other medicines. It has a lot of side effects and you must discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor before starting treatment with this medicine. You should avoid drinking alcohol while having this treatment and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Side effects of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection
Most side effects do not require any medical attention and disappear as your body adjusts to the medicine. Consult your doctor if they persist or if you’re worried about them
Common side effects of Bleomycin Sulphate
Fever
Hair loss
Interstitial pneumonia
Loss of appetite
Low blood platelets
Nail discoloration
Nausea
Pulmonary fibrosis
Rigors
Scratch dermatitis
Skin pigmentation
Stomatitis (Inflammation of the mouth)
Vomiting
Weight loss
How to use Bleomycin Sulphate Injection
Your doctor or nurse will give you this medicine. Kindly do not self administer.
How Bleomycin Sulphate Injection works
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is an anti-cancer medication. It works by damaging the genetic material (DNA) of the cancer cells and stops their growth and multiplication.
Safety advice
Alcohol
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
It is not known whether it is safe to consume alcohol with Bleomycin Sulphate Injection. Please consult your doctor.
Pregnancy
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is unsafe to use during pregnancy as there is definite evidence of risk to the developing baby. However, the doctor may rarely prescribe it in some life-threatening situations if the benefits are more than the potential risks. Please consult your doctor.
Breast feeding
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is probably unsafe to use during breastfeeding. Limited human data suggests that the drug may pass into the breastmilk and harm the baby.
Driving
UNSAFE
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection may cause side effects which could affect your ability to drive. As with $med_name, few people have reported that they feel tired or weak after the treatment so it may affect your driving ability.
Kidney
CAUTION
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection should be used with caution in patients with kidney disease. Dose adjustment of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection may be needed. Please consult your doctor.
Liver
SAFE IF PRESCRIBED
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is probably safe to use in patients with liver disease. Limited data available suggests that dose adjustment of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection may not be needed in these patients. Please consult your doctor.
What if you forget to take Bleomycin Sulphate Injection?
If you miss a dose of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection, please consult your doctor.
All substitutes
For informational purposes only. Consult a doctor before taking any medicines.
Do not use Bleomycin with Purified Vi Polysaccharide Typhoid Vaccine. If Bleomycin is essential, ensure a gap of At least 6 months after discontinuing Purified Vi Polysaccharide Ty... More
Do not use Bleomycin with Cholera Vaccine (Inactivated). If Bleomycin is essential, ensure a gap of At least 6 months after discontinuing Cholera Vaccine (Inactivated). Please cons... More
Do not use Bleomycin with Herpes Zoster / Shingles Vaccine (Recombinant, Adjuvanted). If Bleomycin is essential, ensure a gap of At least 6 months after discontinuing Herpes Zoster... More
Do not consume Clozapine with Bleomycin. If concurrent use is essential, your doctor may monitor your blood cell count frequently.
Concurrent use may cause decreased blood cell co... More
I want to know the symptoms of cancer as I am a smoker
Dr. Vijay Sharnangat
Medical Oncology and Hematology
Symptoms for cancer depends upon which organ involved. For smokers , definitely chronic , they have possibility to develop lung cancer, head and neck cancers, oesophagus cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and so more on. General symptoms would be like loss of appetite, weight loss, low grade fever in some cases, chronic cough for long time.
Smears show metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma.HISTOPATHOLOGY REPORT.sir is there any treatment Sir my mom firstly suffered from stomach pain.Then say about doing ultra sound test which is as:Neoplasm Stomach Pylrus.Fresh blood in corpus .polypoid growth in pylrus biopy taken from HPE Sir please help doctors already said there is no treatment for this stomach cancer disease
Dr. Sanjay Singh Rai
Medical Oncology and Hematology
Cancer is treated based on stage of cancerPlease upload reports of Ultrasound and endoscopy
What are you using Bleomycin Sulphate Injection for?
Cervical canc*
50%
Skin cancer
50%
*Cervical cancer
How much was the improvement?
Excellent
50%
Poor
33%
Average
17%
What were the side-effects while using Bleomycin Sulphate Injection?
No Side Effec*
100%
*No Side Effect
FAQs
What does Bleomycin Sulphate Injection treat?
Bleomycin Sulphate Injection is used to treat squamous cell cancers, certain types of blood cancers, skin cancers and cancer of the thyroid, bladder, lungs, abdomen or genitals.
Does Bleomycin Sulphate Injection cause pulmonary fibrosis, nausea or hair loss?
Yes. Bleomycin Sulphate Injection may cause pulmonary fibrosis, nausea and hair loss. If you notice any such symptoms, please consult your doctor.
How does Bleomycin Sulphate Injection cause pulmonary fibrosis?
Pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the tissue of the lungs) is one of the side effects of Bleomycin Sulphate Injection. It is reportedly caused by lack of an enzyme that metabolises Bleomycin Sulphate Injection in the lungs.
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References
Chabner BA, Bertino J, Cleary J, et al. Cytotoxic Agents. In: Brunton LL, Chabner BA, Knollmann BC, editors. Goodman & Gilman’s: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 12th ed. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2011. pp. 1716-18.
Chu E, Sartorelli AC. Cancer Chemotherapy. In: Katzung BG, Masters SB, Trevor AJ, editors. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. 11th ed. New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited; 2009. pp. 952-53.
Briggs GG, Freeman RK, editors. A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk: Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. pp. 149-50.
Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006. Bleomycin. [Updated 2018 Dec 3]. [Accessed 18 Feb. 2020] (online) Available from: