Uses of Pazopanib

Pazopanib is used in the treatment of kidney cancer (that has advanced or spread to other organs) and soft tissue sarcoma.

Therapeutic Category

Pazopanib: Protein kinase inhibitors

How Pazopanib works

Pazopanib works by stopping the activity of various growth factor receptors associated with blood vessel formation and tumour cell proliferation. It inhibits the activity of few other factors that are responsible for the multiplication of cancer cells and hence prevents the growth and spread of cancer cells. 

Common side effects of Pazopanib

• High blood pressure
• Diarrhoea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Taste disturbance or loss of taste
• Sore mouth
• Headache
• Tumour pain
• Inadequate energy, weakness or tiredness
• Hair colour changes, unusual loss of hair or hair thinning
• Skin pigment loss
• Skin rash, peeling of the skin, skin burning, prickling, itching or tingling sensation
• Redness and swelling in the hands or soles of the feet
• Signs of decrease in albumin in the blood (weakness and exhaustion)
• Signs of low blood platelets (prolonged bleeding from guts, blood in urine or stools)
• Decrease in the number of white blood cells (muscle weakness, fatigue)
• Indigestion, bloating, flatulence
• Nose bleed
• Dry mouth or mouth ulcers
• Abnormal drowsiness
• Sleeping difficulties
• Signs of blood clot such as chest pain, shortness of breath, leg pain, If the clot is broken, it might move to your lungs
• Decreased effectiveness of heart at pumping the blood around the body (cardiac dysfunction)
• Slow heart beat
• Bleeding of mouth, rectum or lung
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Hot flushes
• Fluid accumulation in face, hands, ankles, feet or eyelids that causes swelling
• Tingling, weak or numb hands, arms, legs and feet
• Nail disorders
• Sensation of coldness, with shivering
• Excessive sweating
• Dehydration
• Chest pain, joint, tendon pain, muscle pain and spasms
• Hoarseness
• Cough, coughing up blood
• Hiccups
• Lung collapse with air trapped between the chest and lung, which can cause shortness of breath (pneumothorax)
• Underactive thyroid gland 

When to consult your doctor

Consult your doctor if you experience:

• In case of accidental overdose or poisoning
• Signs of swelling of the brain (loss of speech, change of vision, seizure (fits), confusion, high blood pressure)
• Signs of sudden and severe rise in blood pressure (severe chest pain, severe headache, blurred vision, confusion, nausea, vomiting, severe anxiety, shortness of breath, fainting)
• Signs of heart failure or heart attack (irregular or fast heartbeat, rapid fluttering of your heart, fainting, chest pain or pressure, painful arms, back, neck or jaw, leg swelling)
• Signs of stroke (one side of your body becomes weak and numb, difficulty talking, headache, dizziness)
• Signs of e severe bleeding in the digestive system or the lungs, kidneys, mouth, vagina and brain (black stools or stools with blood, urine with blood, painful stomach, coughing or vomiting up blood)
• Signs of a tear (perforation) stomach or intestinal wall or the development of an abnormal connection between two parts of your digestive tract (a fistula) (severe stomach pain, fever, hole formation (perforation) in the stomach, intestine or bowel from which pus is released which is bloody and has foul smell)
• Signs of liver problems (yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice), dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen), bruising easily)
• Signs of formation of a blood clot (sharp chest pain, rapid breathing, leg pain, swelling of arms and hands or legs and feet, bruising easily, high blood pressure, drowsiness, decrease in urine output)
• Signs of tumor lysis syndrome (fast breakdown of tumor cells) such as irregular heartbeat, seizures (fits), confusion, muscle cramps or spasms or decrease in urine output
• Signs of infection (cough, tiredness and body aches, pain while urination, fever, red, warm, swollen and painful cuts, scrapes or wounds)
• Signs of lung inflammation (shortness of breath or cough that will not go away)
• Decreased thyroid function (weight gain)
• Change in vision (blurry or impaired vision)

Health Tips for Pazopanib

• Avoid driving while taking Pazopanib as it can increase the risk of side effects
• Don’t take Pazopanib with food. You should take it either at least two hours after a meal or one hour before a meal
• Consumption of grapefruit juice is not recommended while taking Pazopanib as it may increase the chances of getting side effects
• Pazopanib is not recommended for use in pregnant and breast-feeding women. Consult your doctor before taking it