What is Durvalumab?
Durvalumab can be used to treat cancers of the bladder, lungs, or urinary system. Durvalumab may be given when cancer has spread, can't be removed by surgery, or other treatments have failed. Durvalumab can be used in other ways not mentioned in this guide.
Side effects of Durvalumab
If you experience any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction, seek immediate medical attention: hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of your lips, face, tongue, or throat. During the injection, some side effects can occur. You should tell your caregiver if you experience lightheadedness or itchiness, or if you have a fever, chills, or neck or back pain. Durvalumab can cause serious side effects or even death in the lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, thyroid, or adrenal glands.
Durvalumab may cause serious side effects. If you experience:
- Chest pain, coughing, or feeling short of breath
- Severe stomach pain, diarrhea, or bloody or tarry stool;
- Itching or blistering on the skin, new or worsening
- Fever, flu-like symptoms;
- Pain or burning after urinating;
- Other organ problems: confusion, pain, redness, or swelling of the eyes; mood or behavior changes;
- Liver problems: loss of appetite, upper abdominal pain, drowsiness, easy bruising and bleeding, dark urine, or jaundice.
- Kidney problems: little or no urine, pink or red urine, swelling of the feet or ankles
- Transplant rejection: rash with blisters, peeling, and watery diarrhea; stomach pain; vomiting; loss of appetite. Fever, bruising, bleeding, and jaundice Pain or swelling around your transplanted kidney.
- Signs of hormonal disorders include unusual headaches, feeling very tired or light-headed, a hoarse voice or increased thirst, an increase in hunger or urination, constipation or vomiting, hair fall, feeling cold, or weight gain or loss.
Should any adverse side effects arise during chemotherapy treatment, your plan could be altered accordingly and potentially stop or postponed.
Durvalumab side effects may include:
- Nausea, constipation;
- Reduced appetite
- Feeling tired or weak
- Bone or muscle pain;
- Feeling short of breath, coughing;
- cold symptoms like a stuffy nose and sneezing, sore neck
- Painful urination
- Hair loss;
- Rash;
- Swelling in the arms and legs.
There may be other side effects. For medical advice on side effects, call your doctor. The FDA can be contacted at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report side effects.
Similar/related drugs
Opdivo, Retevmo, Rybrevant, Lumakras, methotrexate, cisplatin, and Keytruda
Warnings
Durvalumab can cause life-threatening or serious side effects in your lungs. It may also affect your liver, kidneys, and intestines. If you experience any new or unusual symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, headaches or vision problems, muscle weakness or pain, stomach or weight problems, rashes, hair loss or bleeding, yellowing or bruising of the skin or eyes, or increased or decreased urination
Before you take this drug
Tell your doctor about any active infections or past illnesses.
- Recent or planned stem cell or organ transplant
- Lung disease or breathing problems
- Liver disease
- Radiation treatment for the chest region
- An autoimmune disease such as lupus ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
Durvalumab can harm an unborn child. Prevent pregnancy by using effective contraception while taking durvalumab and for 3 months following your last dose. Inform your doctor immediately if you fall pregnant. Do not breastfeed while taking durvalumab or for 3 months following your last dose.
How to take Durvalumab?
Durvalumab infusions are given into a vein once every 2, 3, or 4 weeks. This injection will be given by a healthcare provider. The infusion may take up to an hour. You may require frequent medical tests.
Details on dosage
Adult dose for urothelial cancer:
10 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities
Uses: To treat patients with metastatic or locally advanced urothelial cancer.
Patients who experience disease progression after or during platinum-containing chemotherapy
progressive disease within 12 months after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant platinum-containing chemotherapy
Adult dose for non-small cell lung cancer:
10 mg/kg over 60 minutes, every two weeks, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. maximum of 12 months.
Use: Patients with Stage III non-small-cell lung cancer that is unresectable and whose disease did not progress after concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy.
Adult dose for small cell lung cancer:
30 kg or less:
The dose is 20 mg/kg IV, every three weeks (21-day cycles) for four cycles. After that, the dose is 20 mg/kg per week as a single agent.
If this drug is administered in conjunction with chemotherapy, it should be given the day before the chemotherapy. For more information on dosing, please refer to the prescribing information for carboplatin and cisplatin.
More than 30 kg
Then, 1500 mg IV per cycle every 21 days for 4 cycles. Finally, 1500 mg once every 4 weeks until the disease progresses or there is unacceptable toxicity.
If this drug is prescribed in conjunction with chemotherapy, it should be administered the day before the chemotherapy. For more information on dosing, refer to the prescribing information for etoposide or carboplatin.
Use: This drug is used in combination with carboplatin and either cisplatin or etoposide for the treatment of adults with advanced-stage lung cancer.
What happens if I miss the dose?
If you missed your durvalumab appointment, call your doctor to get instructions.
What happens if I overdose?
Durvalumab will be administered by a healthcare provider in a medical environment, so an overdose should not occur.
What should be avoided?
If your doctor prescribes any food-, beverage- or activity restrictions for you to observe, adhere to their directives as instructed.
Interaction with other drug
Durvalumab can be affected by other drugs, such as prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.Inform your physician of any and all medications you are currently taking as well as those you are starting or discontinuing to use.
