Wednesday, December 18, 2013

All You Need To Know About Afinitor

According to the US National Institute of Health, new cases of renal cancer in 2010 in the US stood at 58,240, with 13,040 deaths cases. Although there are no significant symptoms of kidney or renal cancer, you should approach a doctor if you notice blood in your urine, lump in your abdomen, unexplained weight loss or appetite loss. Afinitor (everolimus), developed and manufactured by Novartis, is the first oral daily therapy for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. This drug was developed after the failure of treatment with Sunitinib or Sorferib in cancer cells.

Applications and Dosage Related Information About Afinitor
Afinitor, which received the FDA approval in 2009 is also used for the treatment of patients with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) who need therapeutic intervention instead of curative surgical treatments. The medicine stops cancer cells from expanding by cutting off the blood supply to them. Afinitor is an inhibitor of mTOR and prevents cell proliferation and angiogenesis.
The medicine is available in 5mg and 10mg strengths for oral administration. The recommended initial dose for this drug is 10mg, to be taken once a day at the same time every day with or without food. One should swallow this medicine as a whole and avoid chewing or crushing it.
Some commonly witnessed side effects by users of Afinitor are:
mouth ulcers
infections
weakness
cough
diarrhea
nausea
fever
loss of appetite
anemia
swelling of body parts
headaches
inflammation of the lining of the digestive system
These side effects are temporary and will go away after the therapy is complete.
However, some serious side effects may be felt by people taking Afinitor. These include:
Breathing problems
Severe infections, such as pneumonia, bacterial, fungal or viral
Precautions While Taking Afinitor
This medicine is not for patients who are already taking medication for fungal or bacterial infections, tuberclosis, seizures, HIV-AIDS, blood pressure or heart conditions. This medicine should also not be prescribed to a pregnant woman or a woman who is breast feeding.
If your doctor has prescribed Afinitor for your treatment, you should follow certain precautions:
Do not drink grape fruit juice or eat grape fruit, star fruit or Seville oranges during the whole treatment
In case of allergic reactions, one should immediately get back to his/her doctor
People using this medicine should not get a live vaccine or be around with people who have recently received a live vaccine

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