ITP Treatments

Chemotherapy

Various chemotherapy drugs have been used for chronic ITP patients. Vincristine and Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) are the two most frequently prescribed. In ITP, the immune system is hyperactive and produces auto-antibodies at a rapid rate of growth. Chemotherapy medicines have their greatest effect against rapidly dividing cells and, therefore, can be beneficial in the treatment of ITP by suppressing the cells involved in the hyperactive immune response.

Warning

Wash your hands immediately after touching oral chemo drugs. Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands.

Dosage

The dose of cyclophosphamide may vary. The dose will depend on a number of things: the patient's weight, administration method, other medications the patient is taking.

The suggested dosing of Vincristine is 1-2 mg. The infusions take about three to five minutes. They are administered by IV push.

Side Effects

Along with their needed effects, chemotherapy treatments can sometimes cause unwanted effects such as temporarily lowering the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection, nervous system problems (tingling sensation and loss of feeling in hands and feet), nausea and vomiting, sores in mouth and on lips, loss of hair, sterility (often temporary). It can also cause a permanent decrease in cognitive ability.

Some side effects may occur months or years after some types or combinations of chemotherapy are used. These delayed effects include the risk of developing malignancies, including leukemia, bladder cancer and other tumors. (There is no published evidence that Vincristine, used alone, can contribute to malignancy.)

It is important to assess the beneficial effects as well as the risks involved in chemo drug therapy. Doctors use the term "risk- benefit ratio" to describe the comparison of side effects to beneficial effects of medications.

Retlated Web Sites

Vincristine:

http://my.webmd.com/content/asset/uspdi.202594