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Dexamethasone for Cancer Treatment

During cancer treatment, doctors often prescribe medications to treat symptoms caused by the cancer or caused by the medications used to treat the cancer. The corticosteroid drug dexamethasone is one such medication.

  1. Identification

    • Dexamethasone is a prescription corticosteroid medication used for the treatment of cancer. It is available in tablet, injection, infusion and oral liquid forms.

    Function

    • Dexamethasone works by suppressing the activities of your immune system, which makes it useful for preventing allergic reactions to chemotherapy drugs. Dexamethasone is also used to lessen pain associated with cancers that involve immune system organs, such as lymphoma and leukemia. Because dexamethasone alleviates inflammation, doctors also prescribe the drug for relieving inflammation caused by tumors in the brain, spinal cord, or bones, reports the American Cancer Society.

    Positive Side Effects

    • According to the American Cancer Society, dexamethasone causes side effects that are actually beneficial to some cancer patients. An example of this is increased appetite, which helps patients suffering from anorexia due to chemotherapy. Another side effect of dexamethasone is decreased levels of calcium in your bloodstream, which is beneficial for bone cancer patients who often have dangerously high blood calcium levels.

    Risks

    • Since dexamethasone suppresses the immune system, patients taking the drug are at an increased risk for bacterial and viral infections. Other risks associated with dexamethasone include glaucoma, electrolyte imbalances, osteoporosis and the onset of Type 2 diabetes, warns the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

    Considerations

    • Because its effects upon fetal development are unknown, doctors rarely prescribe dexamethasone for the treatment of cancer symptoms in pregnant women. The Mayo Clinic warns that it may not be safe for you to take dexamethasone if you have a history of AIDS, recurrent fungal infections, strongyloides, tuberculosis, diabetes, diverticulitis, ulcers, glaucoma, kidney or heart disease, hypertension, kidney stones, liver disease, hypothyroidism, myasthenia gravis, osteoporosis, lupus or psychosis.

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