How does bleomycin cause pulmonary toxicity?
The lung injury seen following bleomycin comprises an interstitial oedema with an influx of inflammatory and immune cells. This may lead to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, characterized by enhanced production and deposition of collagen and other matrix components.
Does bleomycin cause lung damage?
The chemotherapy drug bleomycin can cause lung damage in some people. This can be very serious and can sometimes cause life-threatening problems. Make sure that you let people know that you have had bleomycin in the past. This is important if you need any hospital treatment that may include having oxygen.
What is the work of bleomycin?
Bleomycin is used to treat cancer. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells. This medication may also be used to control the build-up of fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion) caused by tumors that have spread to the lungs.
How is bleomycin toxicity treated?
Although there is no approved standard treatment for Bleomycin induced pulmonary toxicity, some of the most common approaches until date include witholding bleomycin from subsequent chemotherapy, continuing with a non-bleomycin based regimen in relevant patients or corticosteroid treatment.
What respiratory drug is usually associated with intoxication?
Any chemotherapeutic drug can adversely affect the lung, but the drugs most commonly implicated in lung toxicity are bleomycin, carmustine, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide [43-46]. Approximately 1-10% of patients taking one of these drugs are affected.
How do you reduce pulmonary toxicity?
While there is no specific treatment to reverse lung damage, your doctor may prescribe medications or therapies to help manage the symptoms of lung toxicity. Corticosteroids: Steroids work by decreasing inflammation and relieve the cough and some pain associated with lung toxicity.
What is bleomycin used for?
Bleomycin is a type of antibiotic that is only used in cancer chemotherapy. It slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body.
How is pulmonary toxicity from bleomycin treated?
The most effective way to manage pulmonary toxicity associated with chemotherapeutic agents is to prevent it. One of the most efficient ways to prevent bleomycin-induced lung injury is to lower the total cumulative dose of bleomycin.
What are the side effects of bleomycin?
Bleomycin is commonly used in a regimen of multiagent chemotherapy for the treatment of ovarian germ cell malignancies. Subacute and chronic interstitial pneumonitis is a serious, life-threatening side effect of bleomycin. This inflammatory process may progress to pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory failure, and death.
What is the pathophysiology of bleomycin-induced lung injury?
The mechanism of bleomycin-induced lung injury is not entirely clear but likely involves oxidative damage, relative deficiency of the deactivating enzyme bleomycin hydrolase, genetic susceptibility, and elaboration of inflammatory cytokines [1].
How does age affect the risk of bleomycin toxicity?
The risk of bleomycin-induced lung toxicity is higher in older patients. A British study reported that, among 835 patients with germ-cell tumors who were treated with bleomycin-containing regimens, age over 40 years was associated with a 2.3-fold higher risk of pulmonary complications [29].