Pentostatin injection must be given under the supervision of a doctor who is experienced in giving chemotherapy medications for cancer.
Why is this medicine prescribed?
Pentostatin is used to treat hairy cell leukemia (cancer of a certain type of white blood cell). Pentostatin is a type of antibiotic that is only used in cancer chemotherapy. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells in your body.
Are there other uses for this medicine?
Pentostatin is also sometimes used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (a type of cancer that begins in a type of white blood cell that normally fights infection and that affects the skin). Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication for your condition.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
How should this medicine be used?
Pentostatin comes as a powder to be mixed with liquid and injected intravenously (into a vein) over 5 minutes or infused intravenously (into a vein) over 20 to 30 minutes by a doctor or nurse in a medical facility. It is injected once every other week. The length of treatment depends on how well your body responds to treatment with pentostatin.
Your doctor may need to delay your treatment or change your dose if you experience certain side effects. It is important for you to tell your doctor how you are feeling during your treatment with pentostatin injection.
What special precautions should I follow?
Before receiving pentostatin,
- tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to this drug, any part of this drug, or any other drugs, foods or substances. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about the allergy and what symptoms you had.
- tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take while receiving pentostatin. Your doctor may need to monitor you carefully for side effects.
- tell your doctor if you have or have recently had an infection or if you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease.
- tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You may be required to have a pregnancy test prior to starting pentostatin. Use birth control during and for 6 months after treatment with pentostatin. Talk to your doctor about what birth control is right for you. If your partner is capable of becoming pregnant, you should use birth control during and for 3 months after treatment with pentostatin. Talk to your doctor about what birth control would work best for you and your partner. Pentostatin may harm the fetus.
- tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Do not breast-feed during your treatment with pentostatin and for 1 week after the final dose of pentostatin.
- you should know that pentostatin may cause infertility (difficulty becoming pregnant) in animals. The risks in humans have not been determined, but should be considered.
What special dietary instructions should I follow?
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.
What should I do in case of overdose?
In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help . If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.
What side effects can this medicine cause?
Pentostatin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- nausea, vomting, stomach pain, diarrhea
- constipation
- sores in the mouth and throat
- muscle, back, or joint pain
- headache
- sweating
- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- dry skin
- itching
- loss of strength or energy
Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:
- difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, cough
- fever, sore throat, chills, or other signs of infection
- unusual bleeding or bruising, black and tarry stools, red blood in stools
- bloody vomit; vomited material that looks like coffee grounds
- fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
- chest pain
- dizziness
- fainting
- yellowing of the skin or eyes, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, dark colored urine
- decreased urination
- swelling of the face, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
- unusual tiredness or weakness
- rash
- vision changes
- changes in hearing
Pentostatin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online ( https://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch ) or by phone ( 1-800-332-1088).What other information should I know?
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your body's response to pentostatin.
Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about pentostatin.
Keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines, vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements you are taking. Bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to the hospital. You should carry the list with you in case of emergencies.