How bad is Red Devil chemo?

How bad is Red Devil chemo?

In the world of cancer treatment, Adriamycin is often called the “Red Devil,” both for its bright, red Kool-Aid color and its nasty side effects. The drug can cause tissue damage if not administered correctly. It can also cause heart damage, though that’s a lesser occurring side effect.

Which chemo is called the Red Devil?

Can the red devil be defanged? Doxorubicin, an old chemotherapy drug that carries this unusual moniker because of its distinctive hue and fearsome toxicity, remains a key treatment for many cancer patients.

What can I expect from the Red Devil chemo?

My oncologist and chemotherapy nurse had warned me of the side effects from the two drugs: nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, low white or red blood cell counts, a metallic taste in my mouth, fatigue and the one very visible sign of chemotherapy: complete hair loss.

What is doxorubicin toxicity?

While an effective anti-tumor agent, doxorubicin causes cumulative and dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, ranging from occult changes in myocardial structure and function to severe cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure that may result in cardiac transplantation or death1,2,3,4,5,6.

Does each chemo treatment get worse?

Each chemo experience is unique. Don’t plan your chemo response until you’ve gone through your first infusion. The effects of chemo are cumulative. They get worse with each cycle.

What does doxorubicin mean?

Definition of doxorubicin. : an antibiotic with broad antineoplastic activity that is obtained from a bacterium (Streptomyces peucetius) and is administered in the form of its hydrochloride C 27H 29NO 11·HCl.

How is doxorubicin made?

Doxorubicin is synthesized by a specialized polyketide synthase. The initial event in DXR synthesis is the selection of the propionyl-CoA starter unit and its decarboxylative addition to a two carbon ketide unit, derived from malonyl-CoA to produce the five carbon B-ketovaleryl ACP.

Why is doxorubicin red?

Sometimes referred to as the “red death,” doxorubicin is red in color and originates from a product of a fungus (Streptomyces). It is considered part of the anthracycline antitumor antibiotic class of chemotherapeutics.

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