Liposomal Daunorubicin

Other Names: DaunoXome

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About This Drug

Liposomal daunorubicin is used to treat cancer. It is given in the vein (IV).

Possible Side Effects (More Common)

Nausea and throwing up (vomitin). These symptoms may happen within a few hours after your treatment and may last up to 24 hours. Medicines are available to stop or lessen these side effects.
Tiredness
Headache
Cough
Loose bowel movements (diarrhea) that may last for a few days
Skin and tissue irritation may involve redness, pain, warmth, or swelling at the IV site. This happens if the drug leaks out of the vein and into nearby tissue.
Bone marrow depression. This is a decrease in the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This may raise your risk of infection, make you tired and weak (fatigue), and raise your risk of bleeding.
Hand-and-foot syndrome. The palms of your hands or soles of your feet may tingle, become numb, painful, swollen, or red.
Effects on the nerves are called peripheral neuropathy. You may feel numbness, tingling, or pain in your hands and feet. It may be hard for you to button your clothes, open jars, or walk as usual. The effect on the nerves may get worse with more doses of the drug. These effects get better in some people after the drug is stopped but it does not get better in all people.
Trouble catching your breath
Ankle swelling
Trouble breathing when lying flat
Soreness of the mouth and throat. You may have red areas, white patches, or sores that hurt.

Possible Side Effects (Less Common)

Changes in the tissue of the heart. Some changes may happen that can cause your heart to have less ability to pump blood. Your heart function will be checked as needed.
Hair loss: Most often hair loss is temporary; your hair should grow back when treatment is done.
Feeling confused, thinking in a way that is not normal for you
Depression
Trouble sleeping
Joint or muscle pain
Changes in your liver function. Your doctor will check your liver function as needed.
Eye irritation. You may have watery eyes. Your eyes and eye lids may become red and painful. This could lead to an eye infection.
Changes in vision or eyesight
Earache, ringing in the ear, or loss of hearing

Infusion Reactions

While you are getting this drug in your vein (IV), you may have a reaction. Your nurse will check you closely for these signs: fever or shaking chills, flushing, facial swelling, feeling dizzy, headache, trouble breathing, rash, itching, chest tightness, or chest pain. It is important to tell your nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms.

If you have a reaction, you will be closely watched by your nurse. The drug infusion may be slowed down or stopped. The reactions often end within a few hours to a day after the infusion is stopped.

Allergic Reactions

Serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis are rare. While you are getting this drug in your vein (IV), tell your nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction:

Trouble catching your breath
Feeling like your tongue or throat are swelling
Feeling your heart beat quickly or in a not normal way (palpitations)
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Flushing, itching, rash, and/or hives

Treating Side Effects

Mouth care is very important. Your mouth care should consist of routine, gentle cleaning of your teeth or dentures and rinsing your mouth with a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water or ½ teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of water. This should be done at least after each meal and at bedtime.
If you have mouth sores, avoid mouthwash that has alcohol. Avoid alcohol and smoking because they can bother your mouth and throat.
Drink 6-8 cups of fluids each day unless your doctor has told you to limit your fluid intake due to some other health problem. A cup is 8 ounces of fluid. If you throw up or have loose bowel movements, you should drink more fluids so that you do not become dehydrated (lack water in the body from losing too much fluid).
Ask your doctor or nurse about medicine to help stop or lessen nausea and throwing up.
Speak with your nurse about obtaining a wig before you lose your hair. Also, call the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345 to find out information about the “Look Good...Feel Better” program close to where you live. It is a free program where women undergoing chemotherapy learn about wigs, turbans and scarves as well as makeup techniques and skin and nail care.
If you have numbness and tingling in your hands and feet, be careful when cooking, walking, and handling sharp objects and hot liquids.
While you are getting this drug tell your nurse right away if you experience any pain, redness, or swelling at the site of the IV infusion.
If you get a rash, do not put anything on it unless you ask your doctor or nurse. Keep the area around the rash clean and dry.
You can help prevent skin reactions. For at least three days after you get this drug:

Do not use tape on your skin
Do not wear tight clothes or jewelry
Do not bathe in very hot water
Do not put pressure on your joints or bony areas
Do not do activities that cause pressure or rubbing on the skin
Do not go outdoors without protection from the sun

Food and Drug Interactions

There are no known interactions of liposomal daunorubicin with food. This drug may interact with other medicines. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the medicines and dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs and others) that you are taking at this time. The safety and use of dietary supplements and alternative diets are often not known. Using these might affect your cancer or interfere with your treatment. Until more is known, you should not use dietary supplements or alternative diets without your cancer doctor's help.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms:

Fever of 100.5 F (38 C) or above
Chills
Easy bruising or bleeding
Wheezing or trouble breathing
Rash or itching
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Feeling that your heart is beating in a fast or not normal way (palpitations)
Loose bowel movements (diarrhea) more than 4 times a day or you feel dizzy or lightheaded on days you have diarrhea
Blurred vision or other changes in eyesight
Pain when passing urine; blood in urine
Pain in your lower back or side
Feeling confused or agitated
Nausea that stops you from eating or drinking
Throwing up more than 3 times a day
Chest pain or symptoms of a heart attack. Most heart attacks involve pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. The pain may go away and come back. It can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Sometimes pain is felt in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. If any of these symptoms last 2 minutes, call 911.
Symptoms of a stroke such as sudden numbness or weakness of your face, arm, or leg, mostly on one side of your body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, feeling dizzy, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden, bad headache with no known cause. If you have any of these symptoms for 2 minutes, call 911.
Signs of liver problems: dark urine, pale bowel movements, bad stomach pain, feeling very tired and weak, unusual itching, or yellowing of the eyes or skin,

Call your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if any of these symptoms happen:

Change in hearing, ringing in the ears
Decreased urine
Unusual thirst or passing urine often
Pain in your mouth or throat that makes it hard to eat or drink
Nausea that is not relieved by prescribed medicines
Rash that is not relieved by prescribed medicines
Heavy menstrual period that lasts longer than normal
Numbness, tingling, decreased feeling or weakness in fingers, toes, arms, or legs
Trouble walking or changes in the way you walk, feeling clumsy when buttoning clothes, opening jars, or other routine hand motions
Swelling of legs, ankles, or feet
Weight gain of 5 pounds in one week (fluid retention)
Lasting loss of appetite or rapid weight loss of five pounds in a week
Fatigue that interferes with your daily activities
Headache that does not go away
Painful, red, or swollen areas on your hands or feet.
No bowel movement for 3 days or you feel uncomfortable
Extreme weakness that interferes with normal activities

Sexual Problems and Reproduction Concerns

Infertility warning: Sexual problems and reproduction concerns may happen. In both men and women, this drug may affect your ability to have children. This cannot be determined before your treatment. Talk with your doctor or nurse if you plan to have children. Ask for information on sperm or egg banking.

In men, this drug may interfere with your ability to make sperm, but it should not change your ability to have sexual relations.
In women, menstrual bleeding may become irregular or stop while you are getting this drug. Do not assume that you cannot become pregnant if you do not have a menstrual period.
Women may go through signs of menopause (change of life) like vaginal dryness or itching. Vaginal lubricants can be used to lessen vaginal dryness, itching, and pain during sexual relations.
Genetic counseling is available for you to talk about the effects of this drug therapy on future pregnancies. Also, a genetic counselor can look at the possible risk of problems in the unborn baby due to this medicine if an exposure happens during pregnancy.

Pregnancy warning: This drug may have harmful effects on the unborn child, so effective methods of birth control should be used during your cancer treatment. Speak with your doctor or nurse about effective methods of birth control.
Breast feeding warning: Women should not breast feed during treatment because this drug could enter the breast milk and badly harm a breast feeding baby.