Cetuximab Injection
Cetuximab may cause severe or life-threatening reactions while you receive the medication. These reactions are more common with the first dose of cetuximab but may occur at any time during treatment. Your doctor will watch you carefully while you receive each dose of cetuximab and for at least 1 hour afterward. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to red meat, or if you have ever been bitten by a tick. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after your infusion tell your doctor immediately: sudden difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing or noisy breathing, swelling of the eyes, face, mouth, lips or throat, hoarseness, hives, fainting, dizziness, nausea, fever, chills, or chest pain or pressure. If you experience any of these symptoms your doctor may slow down or stop your infusion and treat the symptoms of the reaction. You may not be able to receive treatment with cetuximab in the future.
People with a head and neck cancer who are treated with radiation therapy and cetuximab may have an increased risk of cardiopulmonary arrest (condition in which the heart stops beating and breathing stops) and sudden death during or after their treatment. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had coronary artery disease (condition that occurs when the blood vessels of the heart are narrowed or clogged by fat or cholesterol deposits); heart failure (condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the other parts of the body); irregular heartbeat; other heart disease; or lower than normal levels of magnesium, potassium, or calcium in your blood.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain tests during and after your treatment to check your body’s response to cetuximab.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of using cetuximab.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Cetuximab is used with or without radiation therapy to treat a certain type of cancer of the head and neck that has spread to nearby tissues or other parts of the body. It can also be used with other medications to treat a certain type of head and neck cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or keeps coming back after treatment. Cetuximab is also used alone or in combination with other medications to treat a certain type of cancer of the colon (large intestine) or rectum that has spread to other parts of the body. Cetuximab is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Cetuximab comes as a solution (liquid) to be infused (injected slowly) into a vein. Cetuximab is given by a doctor or nurse in a medical office or infusion center. The first time you receive cetuximab, it will be infused over a period of 2 hours, then the following doses will be infused over 1 hour. Cetuximab is usually given every 1 to 2 weeks for as long as your doctor recommends that you receive treatment.
Even with health insurance, patients in the U. S. have a hard time affording their medical care. About one in five working-age Americans with health insurance, and more than half of those without health insurance, reported having trouble paying their medical bills in the last year, according to S. News & World Report.
Your doctor may need to slow down your infusion, reduce your dosage, delay or stop your treatment, or treat you with other medications if you experience certain side effects. Be sure to tell your doctor how you are feeling during your treatment with cetuximab.
