How Do Antineoplastic Antibiotics Work?

Antineoplastic antibiotics are a class of drugs used to treat various types of cancers including cancer of the stomach or pancreas, urothelial cancer (cancer of the lining of the bladder and other parts of the urinary tract), acute myeloid leukemia (cancer that begins in the white blood cells), head and neck cancer, and cancer of the penis, testicles, cervix, and vulva (the outer part of the vagina). 

Antineoplastic antibiotics are administered intravenously (into a vein), intramuscularly (into a muscle), or subcutaneously (under the skin), typically injected once or twice a week. 

Antineoplastic antibiotics work in the following ways:

• They are a type of antibiotics that are only used in cancer chemotherapy.
• They work by slowing down or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
• They help in controlling the accumulation of fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion) caused by tumors that have spread to the lungs.
• In addition, they belong to a class of medications called “monoclonal antibodies” that work by killing cancer cells.

Antineoplastic antibiotics are used to treat conditions such as:

• Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymphatic system)
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (tumors develop from the lymphocytes)
• Pleural effusion (accumulation of fluid around the lungs)
• Pancreatic cancer 
• Wilms tumor (a type of kidney cancer that occurs in children)
• Rhabdomyosarcoma (cancer that forms in muscles)
• Ewing sarcoma (a type of cancer in bones or muscles)
• Gestational trophoblastic neoplasms (a type of tumor that forms inside a woman’s uterus while she is pregnant)
• Locoregional solid malignancies
• Malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary
• Acute myeloid leukemia (cancer of the blood and bone marrow)
• Urothelial cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Anal carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma of:
  • Penis
  • Cervix
  • Vulva
  • Testes
  • Head and neck

Some of the common side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Mild rash
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Headache
• Tiredness/weakness
• Mouth sores
• Loss of appetite
• Pain, redness, swelling, hardness, or itching at injection site
• Redness, blistering, tenderness, or thickening of the skin
• Other rare side effects include:
• Dizziness 
• Fatigue 
• Weight loss
• Hair loss
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Shortness of breath
• Tachycardia (fast heartbeat)
• Chills, sore throat, fever, or cough
• Decreased or painful urination
• Chest pain

Information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible side effects, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure these drugs do not cause any harm when you take them along with other medicines. Never stop taking your medication and never change your dose or frequency without consulting your doctor.

Generic and brand names of antineoplastic antibiotics include:

• Blenoxane
• Bleomycin
• Cosmegen
• Dactinomycin
• Gemtuzumab
• Jelmyto
• Mitomycin
• Mitomycin C
• Mitomycin pyelocalyceal
• Mutamycin
• Mylotarg