The most common adverse reaction of doxorubicin is fatigue along with nausea, vomiting, oral sores and even alopecia.
When taking doxorubicin you should also avoid being near others who are sick or have any infections.
And tell your doctor promptly if you have any signs of infection and avoid any activities which can increase your risk of injury or bleeding.
The cardiotoxic cumulative dose of doxorubicin is set at 550 mg/m2 body surface area.
However it has been standardized as an anticancer drug and it's potential cardiotoxicity, including life threatening cardiomyopathy and even congestive heart failure are side effects which have to also be taken into consideration.
Doxorubicin extravasation during intravenous administration can result in severe tissue ulceration and necrosis, which worsens over time.
Doxorubicin is also associated with significant cardiac toxicity, which limits the long-term use of the drug.
Doxorubicin is a chemotherapy drug also known as Adriamycin that is used to treat various types of cancers including stomach cancers, lung cancers, breast cancers and even leukemias and lymphoma cancers.
Doxorubicin works by damaging the DNA of the cancer cells and prevents the cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Doxorubicin intercalates between base pairs in the DNA helix and prevents DNA from replicating and also inhibits topoisomerase II, which an enzyme involved in repair of DNA and leads to DNA damage.
Doxorubicin is often administered into a vein intravenously in a hospital or clinic.