Teniposide Side Effects

Brand Names: Vumon

Please note - some side effects for Teniposide may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/ or 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

Side Effects of Teniposide - for the Consumer

Teniposide

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Teniposide:

Diarrhea; hair loss; nausea; rash; vomiting.

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); blurred vision; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, sore throat, or cough; flushing; mouth sores; pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site; severe or persistent dizziness or headache; severe or persistent nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual tiredness or weakness.

Side Effects by Body System

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects have included bone marrow suppression which is the most significant toxicity associated with teniposide therapy. Hematologic effects including neutropenia (less than 2,000 ANC/mcL), leukopenia (less than 3,000 WBC/mcL), anemia (88%), thrombocytopenia (less than 100,000 platelets/mcL) (85%), myelosuppression (unspecified) (75%), and bleeding (5%) have been reported.

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity side effects (5%) have been reported. These have included some potentially life threatening hypersensitivity reactions with anaphylaxis-like symptoms.

The hypersensitivity reaction may include chills, fever, urticaria, tachycardia, bronchospasm, dyspnea, hypertension or hypotension, and facial flushing. Treatment for a severe hypersensitivity reaction include prompt use of antihistamines, corticosteroids, epinephrine, intravenous fluids, and other supportive measures.

One analysis of hypersensitivity reactions to teniposide concluded that the frequency of the reactions is substantially higher in patients with neuroblastoma and brain tumors.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects including hypotension/cardiovascular (2%) have been reported. One episode of sudden death attributable to probable arrhythmia and intractable hypotension has also been reported.

Oncologic

Oncologic side effects include one report of a relative risk of developing secondary acute nonlymphocytic leukemia approximately twelve times that of patients treated with less intensive schedules.

The patients in the report were children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission who received teniposide plus other chemotherapeutic agents at weekly or twice weekly doses.

Compounds with similar mechanisms of action and mutagenicity profiles have been carcinogenic. Teniposide should be considered to be a potential carcinogen. Teniposide has been shown to be mutagenic in various bacterial and mammalian genetic toxicity tests.

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects including mucositis (76%), diarrhea (33%), and nausea/vomiting (29%) have been reported.

Immunologic

Immunologic side effects including infection (12%) have been reported.

Dermatologic

Alopecia, which sometimes progressed to total baldness, was usually reversible.

Dermatologic side effects including alopecia (9%) and rash (3%) have been reported.

General

General side effects including fever have been reported.

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects including acute CNS depression at investigational high doses have been reported.

Other

Other side effects have included three case reports of somnolence, hypotension, and metabolic acidosis which have been reported with teniposide doses at three to five times the standard dose.

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