Mitomycin (patient information)

IMPORTANT WARNING:
Mitomycin can cause a decrease in the number of blood cells in your bone marrow. Mitomycin also can cause kidney damage. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to mitomycin.

About your treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug mitomycin to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein.

This medication is used to treat:


 * adenocarcinoma of the stomach and pancreas

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Mitomycin is a type of antibiotic that is only used in cancer chemotherapy. It slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your body responds to them, and the type of cancer you have.

Other uses for this medicine
Mitomycin is also used to treat adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum; squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, lungs, and cervix; adenocarcinoma and duct cell carcinoma of the breast; and bladder cancer. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.

Precautions
Before taking mitomycin

you should know that mitomycin may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Mitomycin may harm the fetus.
 * tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to mitomycin or any other drugs.
 * tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially aspirin and vitamins.
 * tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease.
 * do not have any vaccinations (e.g., measles or flu shots) without talking to your doctor.

Mild side effects
Side effects from mitomycin are common and include:


 * nausea and vomiting
 * loss of appetite
 * thinned or brittle hair

Severe side effects
Tell your doctor if either of these symptoms is severe or lasts for several hours:


 * fatigue or weakness
 * mouth blistering

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:


 * unusual bruising or bleeding
 * pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site
 * fever
 * chills
 * sore throat
 * cough
 * rash
 * itching
 * difficulty urinating
 * swelling of the ankles or feet
 * dizziness
 * shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Brand names

 * Mutamycin®

Other names

 * Mitomycin-C