Skip to main content

How many cycles of oxaliplatin can you have?

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Dec 21, 2022.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

How many cycles of oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) intravenous (IV) infusion you receive will depend on why you are receiving this medication and how you respond to treatment.

You will receive up to 12 cycles of oxaliplatin if you are using it in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin as an adjuvant (add-on) therapy for the treatment of stage III colon cancer after complete resection of your primary tumor. You may receive fewer cycles of oxaliplatin, however, if the side effects are unacceptable.

If you are receiving oxaliplatin for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer you will continue receiving it until there are signs that your cancer is progressing, meaning that the medication is no longer working for you, or the side effects become unacceptable.

References

Read next

Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) is a platinum-based drug used to treat colon cancer which is administered by intravenous (IV) infusion. After it is administered, oxaliplatin is converted into total platinum, ultrafilterable (free) platinum and erythrocyte platinum.

Ultrafiterable platinum represents the main active substance that provides oxaliplatin’s anti-cancer and toxic properties. Initially plasma ultrafiltrate is distributed quite quickly in the body in two phases, with half-lives (the amount of time it takes to reduce by half) of 0.43 and 16.8 hours, respectively, as the drug is moved into tissues and also cleared by the kidneys.

The third phase of elimination (the terminal half-life of platinum in ultrafiltrate), however, can be as long as 392 hours (approx. 16 days), although this is thought to reflect clearance of mostly inactive platinum conjugates.

After a single oxaliplatin infusion, about 54 percent of the drug is excreted in urine within 5 days. Continue reading

If you have ulcerative colitis (UC), and you have had it for at least 8 years, then you should have a colonoscopy every 1 to 2 years. This is because people with UC have an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Continue reading

The time it takes for Keytruda to work can vary based on the type and stage of cancer. Typically, a response to treatment becomes apparent within 2-4 months of starting Keytruda. This timeframe is referred to as "time to response," which measures when a patient's cancer begins to show signs of responding to the treatment. You can find the specific "time to response" data from clinical trials in the table below. Continue reading

Related medical questions

Drug information

Related support groups

Medical Disclaimer