Cisplatin Injection

Drugs

Generic Name: Cisplatin
Product Name: Cisplatin Injection

Indication of Cisplatin Injection
Action of Cisplatin Injection
Dose advice of Cisplatin Injection
Schedule of Cisplatin Injection
Common side effects of Cisplatin Injection
Uncommon side effects of Cisplatin Injection

Indication of Cisplatin Injection:

Cisplatin is used in the treatment of:

metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell cancer (type of testicular cancer)
advanced ovarian carcinoma that has been unresponsive to other treatments
advanced bladder carcinoma that has been unresponsive to other treatments
squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck that has been unresponsive to other treatments

Cisplatin is used for the treatment of these neoplastic conditions alone or in combination with other agents. For more health information on Cisplatin Injection visit your local doctor.

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Action of Cisplatin Injection:

Cisplatin is a platinum compound that works as an antineoplastic agent. It works by producing links within and between DNA strands, which modifies the structure of DNA and prevents the production of new DNA. Production of proteins and RNA (vital for cell replication) are also inhibited to a lesser extent. Inhibition of production of these components leads to prevention of cell division and eventual cell death. Cisplatin is a non cell-cycle specific antineoplastic agent.

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Dose advice of Cisplatin Injection:

Single agent therapy

50-100mg/m² as a single intravenous infusion over 6-8 hours every 3-4 weeks; or
slow intravenous infusion of 15-20mg/m² daily for 5 days, every 3-4 weeks
dosages should be reduced in patients with depressed bone marrow function

Combination therapy Cisplatin can be used in combination with the following agents:

testicular cancer: vinblastine, bleomycin, actinomycin D
ovarian cancer: cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, hexamethylmelamine, 5-fluorouracil
cancers of head and neck: bleomycin, methotrexate

Subsequent course of Cisplatin Retreatment with Cisplatin cannot begin until the following criteria have been met:

serum creatinine below 140micromol/L
plasma urea below 9mmol/L
platelet count is greater than 100,000/mm³
leucocyte count is greater than 4,000/mm³

Administration

ensure adequate hydration prior to, during and after therapy
required dose should be added to one litre of normal saline and infused over the required time
pregnant staff should not handle Cisplatin

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Schedule of Cisplatin Injection:

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Common side effects of Cisplatin Injection:

severe acute and delayed nausea and vomiting (sometimes so severe than dosage reduction or temporary cessation is required)
kidney toxicity
bone marrow suppression (with decreased numbers of platelets and white cells)
mild hair loss
tinnitus with or without hearing loss

Electrolyte disturbances such as decreased calcium and magnesium may occur. They can cause symptoms such as:

muscle irritability
cramps
unusual muscle contractions
tremor
tetany

Other electrolyte disturbances include decreased potassium and increased uric acid. The following neurological symptoms may occur and require cessation of treatment: