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Side Effects of Cytosine Arabinoside

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society reports that each year over 40,000 Americans receive a diagnosis of leukemia, a form of cancer that affects your blood and bone marrow. Doctors utilize a number of treatment methods to combat leukemia and other blood cancers, including the chemotherapy drug Cytarabine or cytosine arabinoside. Despite its effectiveness, cytosine arabinoside is not for everyone as it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.

  1. Common Side Effects

    • Gastrointestinal side effects like loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are amongst those most common adverse reactions to cytosine arabinoside. In particular, nausea and vomiting are most common when administered rapidly through an IV containing cytosine arabinoside. It is also common to develop sores in your mouth or around your anus as a result of treatment with cytosine arabinoside. In addition, liver dysfunction is another common, but more serious, side effect of Cytarabine.

    Blood Side Effects

    • Because cytosine arabinoside works to inhibit the actions of your bone marrow in an attempt to destroy cancer cells, the drug also affects the amount of certain cell types in your blood stream. For example, cytosine arabinoside frequently causes a shortage of blood platelets or thrombocytopenia, causing easy bruising and an increased risk of bleeding inside of your skull. Anemia or a shortage of oxygen-rich red blood cells is also possible, resulting in fatigue and shortness of breath. Some patients develop leukopenia or a reduction in the number of disease-fighting white blood cells, making the body susceptible to infections. Decreases in platelets and red or white blood cells occur during the first 24 hours after a cytosine arabinoside treatment. Blood counts typically rebound to normal levels for a period of several days, only to drop again during the fifteenth to twenty-fourth days after treatment.

    Cytarabine Syndrome

    • Cytarabine Syndrome is the name given to a group of side effects that occur approximately six to twelve hours after a cytosine arabinoside treatment. Common symptoms of Cytarabine Syndrome are fever accompanied by pain in your muscles and bones. Less common signs of Cytarabine Syndrome include chest pain, skin rashes, malaise or a feeling of spaciness and conjunctivitis or swelling of the lining around your eyelids. If you experience Cytarabine Syndrome following a cytosine arabinoside treatment, your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid as a measure to eliminate a recurrence of symptoms after subsequent treatments.

    Less Common Side Effects

    • In addition to the common symptoms and Cytarabine Syndrome, cytosine arabinoside has the potential to cause a number of other side effects or complications. Some patients experience kidney dysfunction or an inability to urinate following treatment. Dermatological symptoms like itching or hair loss are also possible. In rare cases, cytosine arabinoside causes neurological side effects, including dizziness and headaches. Inflammation of your esophagus or pancreas may also occur following a cytosine arabinoside injection.

    Drug Interactions

    • There are some medications which produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with cytosine arabinoside. For example, concomitant use of the chemotherapy drug L-asparaginase increases inflammation of your pancreas. If you develop pneumonia or certain bacterial infections, your doctor will not be able to use Gentamicin or quinolone antibiotics to treat your illness as cytosine arabinoside decreases the effectiveness of these drugs. Additionally, symptoms of cardiovascular conditions controlled with Digoxin frequently return when patients are given cytosine arabinoside.

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