IMPORTANT WARNING:
Dactinomycin when administered into a vein may leak into surrounding tissue. Your doctor or nurse will monitor your administration site for this reaction. |
About your treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug dactinomycin to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein.
This medication is used to treat:
- Wilms' tumor
- rhabdomyosarcoma
- Ewing's sarcoma
- trophoblastic neoplasms
- testicular carcinoma
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Dactinomycin is a type of antibiotic that is only used in cancer chemotherapy. It slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your body responds to them, and the type of cancer you have.
Other uses for this medicine
Dactinomycin is also used to treat various sarcomas, carcinomas, and adenocarcinomas. It has also been used to treat Kaposi's sarcoma; to manage acute organ rejection in patients with kidney or heart transplants; in the treatment of malignant melanoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and advanced tumors of the breast and ovary; and in the treatment of Paget's disease. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.
In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Special instructions
- The most common side effect of dactinomyin is a decrease of blood cells. Your doctor may order tests before, during, and after your treatment to see if your blood cells are affected by the drug.
Brand names