Bleomycin

What is bleomycin?

Bleomycin is a medicine used to kill cancer cells.

You may hear bleomycin called bleo or by its brand name, Blenoxane. Bleomycin comes in an injection form.

Before giving bleomycin to your child

Tell your doctor if your child has ever reacted badly to bleomycin or any other medication.

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if your child has any of the following conditions. Precautions may need to be taken with this medicine if your child has:

• infection or recent exposure to infection (for example, chickenpox)
• a history of liver or kidney problems
• any lung problems or if anyone in your home smokes

How will your child get bleomycin?

Bleomycin is a clear liquid that is usually given by needle into your child's vein (intravenously or IV). Usually your child will get this medicine in the hospital clinic or nursing unit.

What are the possible side effects of bleomycin?

Your child may have some of these side effects while they take bleomycin. Check with your child's doctor if your child continues to have any of these side effects, and they do not go away, or they bother your child:

• darkening or thickening of skin
• dark stripes on skin
• itching of skin
• skin rash or coloured bumps on fingertips, elbows, or palms
• skin redness or tenderness
• swelling of fingers
• nausea (stomach upset) or vomiting (throwing up)
• changes in fingernails or toenails
• loss of appetite or weight loss
• hair loss

Call your child's doctor during office hours if your child has any of these side effects:

• cough
• shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• sores in mouth and on lips

Most of the following side effects are not common, but they may be a sign of a serious problem. Call your child's doctor right away or take your child to Emergency if your child has any of these side effects:

• fever and chills
• cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, or trouble breathing
• unusual bruising or bleeding
• confusion
• feeling faint or weak
• chest pain that is sudden and severe
• weakness in arms or legs that appears suddenly

After your child stops bleomycin treatment, it may still produce some side effects that need attention. During this period of time, check with your doctor right away if you notice any of the following:

• cough, shortness of breath, or trouble breathing

What safety measures should you take when your child is using bleomycin?

Your child's skin may darken while receiving bleomycin, especially on elbows and knees and in skin creases. If this happens, it will slowly fade once your child stops taking bleomycin.

Your child may lose their hair. It will grow back once treatment with bleomycin stops. Its colour and texture may change. Use a gentle shampoo and a soft brush.

Bleomycin may cause sores in the mouth. Rinse your child's mouth with a mouthwash made from baking soda to help keep it clean. Your nurse or pharmacist can review this with you. Avoid store-bought mouthwash as it may sting and cause dry mouth.

Bleomycin can damage your child's lungs. Smoking cigarettes when taking bleomycin may increase your child's chance of lung problems, such as coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Tell your doctor if your child smokes or if people in your household smoke.

Your child may have some lung tests while getting bleomycin and after they finish bleomycin treatment.

Pressurized oxygen can increase the risk of lung problems after treatment with bleomycin. Before your child ever has any kind of operation, even years after treatment with bleomycin, it is very important that the doctor or dentist be aware that your child got bleomycin. Consider getting your child a Medic-Alert bracelet or necklace that says they have taken bleomycin. Your child should avoid activities that require extra oxygen, such as scuba diving, for the rest of their life.

There is a chance that bleomycin may cause birth defects if it is taken at the time of conception or if it is taken during pregnancy. If your child is sexually active, it is recommended that they use some kind of birth control while receiving bleomycin. Tell the doctor right away if your child may be pregnant.

Your child should not receive any immunizations (vaccines) without your child's doctor's approval. Your child or anyone else in your household should not get oral polio vaccine while your child is being treated for cancer. Tell your child's doctor if anyone in your household has recently received oral polio vaccine. Your child should avoid contact with anyone who has recently received this vaccine. Other live vaccines that your child should not get include measles, mump, and rubella (MMR) and chickenpox vaccine.

Check with your child's doctor or pharmacist before giving your child any other medicines (prescription, non-prescription, herbal, or natural products).

What other important information should you know about bleomycin?

• Tell the doctor or dentist that your child is being treated with bleomycin before your child has any operation, even on the teeth, or any emergency treatment.
• Keep a list of all medications your child is on and show the list to the doctor or pharmacist.
• Do not share your child's medicine with others and do not give anyone else's medicine to your child.
• Do not keep any medicines that are out of date. Check with your pharmacist about the best way to throw away outdated or leftover medicines.
  

Gardez le bleomycin hors de la vue et de la portée de votre enfant. Conservez-le sous clé dans un endroit sécuritaire. Si votre enfant ingère trop de bleomycin, téléphonez à votre centre antipoison local à l'un des numéros suivants. Ces appels sont gratuits.

• Composez le 1-800-POISON-X, ou 1-844-764-7669, de n'importe où au Canada sauf au Québec.
• Composez le 1-800-463-5060 si vous habitez au Québec.