It's normal to feel a little scared and nervous when you're about to start cancer treatment. But when you're fully aware of the medicine you're taking and how it affects your body, that fear can be greatly reduced. Today we're talking about a drug called Dacarbazine, which is used for such cancer treatment. Let's talk about this in a simple way so you can understand.
What kind of medicine is Dacarbazine?
Simply put, dacarbazine is a type of chemotherapy drug . Chemotherapy is a type of powerful medicine that is given to stop the growth of cancer cells or to kill them.
This medicine is mainly used to treat:
- For skin cancer
- In combination with other drugs for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease
This medicine is not given to you at home. It is given in a hospital or clinic by a doctor or nurse who has been specially trained to give it. The medicine is given into the body by injection into a vein or by infusion into a vein, like saline .
Things you need to tell your doctor before starting treatment
It is very important that your doctor is fully aware of your health condition before starting this treatment. Therefore, if you have any of the following, be sure to tell your doctor .
| Situation you need to report | Why is that important? |
|---|---|
| Current infections (e.g., viral infections such as chickenpox, herpes) | Because this medicine reduces the body's immunity, existing infections may worsen. |
| Kidney or liver disease | Because these organs are involved in the process of removing drugs from the body, it is important to know their function. |
| Conditions such as low red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets | Dacarbazine can further reduce the number of these cells, so it is essential to be aware of the current situation. |
| If you have recently received radiation therapy | Since both radiation therapy and chemotherapy affect the body, the doctor should be aware of this. |
| If you have allergies to this medicine or other medicines or foods | This is very important to prevent a serious allergic reaction. |
| If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant | This is very important. This medicine can cause serious harm to the unborn baby. |
| If you are a breastfeeding mother | Breastfeeding should be avoided while taking treatment, as the medicine can pass through breast milk and harm the baby. |
Things we should pay special attention to when taking this medicine:
You need to take a little extra care of your body throughout the treatment period.
Frequent blood tests
While you are taking this medicine, your doctor will order regular blood tests . These are to monitor how the medicine is affecting your body and your blood cells. Do not skip these tests.
Discomfort
It is normal to feel uncomfortable and lethargic when undergoing chemotherapy. This is because these drugs affect both cancer cells and healthy cells to some extent. Therefore, do not stop treatment just because you are not feeling well. It is important to complete the prescribed treatment cycle unless your doctor tells you to stop .
Be careful of infections.
This medicine can reduce the number of white blood cells in the body that fight disease, increasing the risk of developing infections .
If you develop symptoms such as fever, chills, sore throat, cough, or runny nose, do not self-medicate and call your doctor immediately.. During this time, minimize going to places where sick people are and crowded places as much as possible.
Bleeding and bruising
The number of platelets, which help the blood clot, may decrease. This may increase the risk of bleeding and bruising . Tell your doctor if you notice any unusual bleeding, such as unexplained bruising, small red spots on the skin, blood in your stool, or blood in your urine.
Avoid pregnancy!
The most important thing is to avoid getting pregnant completely during and after this treatment for as long as your doctor tells you to. This medicine can seriously harm an unborn baby. Also, breastfeeding mothers should avoid breastfeeding their baby while taking this treatment. If you have any questions about this, talk to your doctor openly.
What are the possible side effects?
Like any medicine, dacarbazine can cause side effects. However, not everyone gets them. The table below provides a clearer picture of these.
| Possible side effects of Dacarbazine | |
|---|---|
| 🚨 Things to report to your doctor immediately | |
| Allergic Reactions | Skin rash, itching, swelling of the lips/tongue/face, difficulty breathing. |
| Symptoms of infection | Fever, chills, cough, sore throat, pain when urinating. |
| Low platelets or bleeding symptoms | Unexplained bruising on the body, red, fine spots on the skin, black stools, and blood in the urine. |
| Low red blood cell count (anemia) | Feeling unusually tired, lifeless, faint, blue eyes. |
| Other serious symptoms | Difficulty breathing, muscle pain, pain where the medicine was injected, vomiting, yellowing of the eyes or skin, change in the amount of urine you produce. |
| 🙂 Things that are common, but should be reported to the doctor if they persist | |
| Digestive system problems | Nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea, loss of appetite. |
| Other minor effects | Hair loss, skin sensitivity to sunlight. |
If you experience any other unusual symptoms not mentioned in this list, please inform your doctor about them as well.
What if I miss a dose and take too much medicine?
It is very important to take your chemotherapy medication on the scheduled day and at the scheduled time. Failure to do so may affect the success of the treatment. If you are unable to go on your scheduled day, call your doctor immediately .
Since this medicine is not used at home, the risk of overdose is low. However, if you think you have been exposed to it in any way, you should immediately call the National Poisons Information Centre at the Colombo National Hospital , or go to the Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) of the nearest hospital.
Take-Home Message
- Dacarbazine is a powerful anticancer drug that is given intravenously by specially trained personnel in a hospital.
- Before starting treatment, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, medications you are taking, and allergies.
- Always be on the lookout for symptoms like fever, unusual bleeding, and bruising. If you notice any of these, see a doctor immediately.
- Avoid pregnancy and breastfeeding completely during treatment.
- Although it is normal to feel uncomfortable, inform your doctor about any severe or persistent side effects.
- Following the doctor's instructions exactly is essential for the success of the treatment.
👩🏽⚕️ Additional questions (FAQs)
💬 What is Dacarbazine (DTIC-Dome) used for?
This is not an ordinary pill! This is an extremely powerful chemotherapy (Alkylating agent) drug that is injected directly into a patient's vein (IV Injection) in a cancer hospital to destroy severe 'Hodgkin's Lymphoma' and severely spread skin cancer (Metastatic Melanoma)!
💬 How does this chemical vaccine (Dacarbazine / Chemo) completely destroy cancer cells when it enters our body?
In order for a cancer cell to divide/reproduce, it needs to make new 'DNA'. This drug goes into our blood, and the liver activates some of it (Active metabolite - MTIC). Then it goes directly into the cancer cells, loops around the chain that makes up the DNA (GC base pairs) and locks it (Alkylation / Cross-linking). When the DNA is hit/scattered, the cancer cell explodes and dies right there as if it was shot.
💬 Cancer Deaths What are the most dangerous risks (Black Box Warnings) that the patient faces when given this vaccine?
The most deadly danger to the patient is that this causes 100% destruction of the blood-forming marrow (Bone Marrow Suppression)! When blood cells are lost, even a small cold can lead to pneumonia/vomiting blood and the patient can die. The other biggest danger is that this causes the blood vessels in the liver to become blocked (Hepatic Necrosis / VOD) and the liver to rot. Also, unbearable vomiting/nausea will definitely occur on the day of this injection.
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