Dactinomycin (intravenous route)

Cosmegen

Dactinomycin injection is used to treat certain types of cancer. This includes cancer of the bones and soft tissue, including muscles and tendons, (eg, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma), Wilms tumor (a cancer of the kidney found primarily in children), tumors in the uterus or womb (gestational trophoblastic neoplasia), and cancer of the testicles that has spread. It is also used to treat solid tumors that have come back (recurrent) to the same site after a previous treatment. Dactinomycin interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by dactinomycin, other effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects, like hair loss, may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur for months or years after the medicine is used. Before you begin treatment with dactinomycin, you and your doctor should talk about the benefits as well as the risks of using this medicine. This medicine is to be given only by or under the direct supervision of your doctor. This product is available in the following dosage forms:

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of dactinomycin injection in children. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children to treat solid tumors that have come back to the same site after a previous treatment. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of dactinomycin injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have bone marrow problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving dactinomycin injection. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially: