Etoposide Health Article

Definition

Etoposide is a chemotherapy medicine used to treat cancer by destroying cancerous cells. Etoposide is also known as the brand name VePesid.

Purpose

Etoposide is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat refractory testicular cancer and small cell lung cancer. It has also been useful for other types of cancer, including non-small cell cancer, leukemia (acute myelocytic leukemia), Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, muscle, brain tumors, bladder, stomach, Kaposi's sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, Wilms' tumor, multiple myeloma, hepatoma, uterine carcinoma, myeloblastoma, mycosis fungoides, neuroblastoma, and prostate cancer.

Description

Etoposide is a clear liquid for infusion into a vein and it is also available as a pink capsule form to be taken by mouth. It may also be referred to as VP-16, VP-16-213, and epipodophyllotoxin. Etopophos is a different formulation of the intravenous form of etoposide. Etopo-side was originally derived from a plant and has been made for longer than 20 years. Etoposide is a member of the group of chemotherapy drugs known as topoisomerase II inhibitors. Topoisomerase II inhibitors cause breaks in the genetic material (DNA) inside the cancer cells and prevent them from further dividing and multiplying. Then the cells die.

Recommended dosage

An etoposide dose can be determined using a mathematical calculation that measures a person's body surface area (BSA). This number is dependent upon a patient's height and weight. The larger the person, the greater the body surface area. BSA is measured in the units known as square meter (m²). The body surface area is calculated and then multiplied by the drug dosage in milligrams per square meter (mg/m²). This calculates the actual dose a patient is to receive.

To treat refractory testicular cancer

Etoposide injection dosed at the range of 50-100 mg per square meter per day given into a vein over 30-60 minutes daily for 5 consecutive days, every 3-4 weeks. This is done in combination with other chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin and bleomycin.

Etoposide can also be dosed at 100 mg per square meter per day injected into a vein over 30-60 minutes on day 1, day 3, and day 5.

To treat lung cancer

Etoposide injection dosed at the range of 35 mg per square meter per day is given into a vein infused over 30-60 minutes for 4 consecutive days. It is dosed up to 50 mg per square meter per day given into a vein infused over 30-60 minutes for 5 days in a row. This is usually in combination with other chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin or carboplatin.

Etoposide phosphate formulation is dosed the same as etoposide, but administered over a shorter period of time. The formulation is often used in transplant patients because it does not need to be mixed in large amounts of intravenous fluid and can be administered over less than 30 minutes, unlike regular etoposide.

Oral etoposide 50mg capsules for lung cancer are dosed by doubling the intravenous dose and rounding the number to the nearest 50 mg.

Patients with kidneys problems may receive smaller doses of etoposide than patients with kidneys that are normal. The doctor will monitor a patient's kidney function prior to therapy by checking certain blood counts. Patients with liver abnormalities may also need dose adjustments of the etoposide.