List of medications which is useful in Thyroid Cancer

What is thyroid cancer?

Cancer in the thyroid gland of the body leading to abnormal production of hormones that regulate blood pressure, heartbeat, weight, and body temperature. 

There are no initial Symptoms of Thyroid cancer however with the advancement of disease swelling and pain in the neck have been reported. 

The main cause of thyroid cancer is unknown however it is shown in certain researches that mutation in the cell of the thyroid gland causes cancer.

There are several medications however some of the most useful medication used in the treatment of this cancer has been discussed below:

1. Lenvatinib: 

Lenvatiniv belongs to kinase inhibitor class drug used in the treatment of metastatic or recurrent thyroid cancer, advanced renal cell carcinoma, and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. It is available in capsule form of 4 mg and 10mg concentration. 

It is highly recommended to take a capsule according to doctors' prescriptions.

Do not break the capsule rather take it as a whole.

Do not adjust the dose without the doctor's permission as it can cause overdose conditions or toxicity.

The dose of the drug depends upon several factors such as the condition being treated, health problems, General Health, and type of cancer.

Side Effects: Some common side effects of Lenvatinib 4 mg used in the treatment of thyroid cancer include nausea, hypertension, diarrhea, fatigue, decreased appetite, arthralgia/myalgia, proteinuria, decrease weight, headache, stomatitis, vomiting, abdominal pain, planarplantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome and dysphonia. 

Precautions: Some of the important precautions that should be kept in the mind while taking Lenvatinib are listed below:

• Hypertension: control blood pressure during the treatment.
• Cardiac dysfunction: discontinuity medication if any symptoms of cardiac failure or cardiac dysfunction occur.
• Hepatotoxicity: monitor for any hepatotoxicity during the treatment and discontinue the drug temporarily.
• Renal impairment: monitor for any symptoms of renal failure or renal impairment.
• Wound healing complication: discontinue the drug if a patient has bone healing complication.
• Embryo-fetal toxicity: pregnant women should not take this drug as it can cause harm to the unborn baby.
• Diarrhea: discontinued drug use if diarrhea persists.
• Proteinuria: monitor for the proteinuria concentration.

2. Cabozantinib S Malate:

It is a kinase inhibitor drug used in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and advanced renal cell carcinoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma is only treated if the patient has been previously treated with sorafenib tosylate and no positive result has been seen.

It is available in tablet form of concentration 20 mg, 40 mg, and 60 mg. The daily dose of the patient is determined by the doctor depending upon several factors such as overall Medical Health, any previous medication, or the stage of infection. Cabozantinib is not taken along with food as food can disturb the actual concentration of food in the body. 

Side Effects: Some common side effects of this drug include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, fatigue, hypertension, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE).

Precautions: Certain precautions should be kept in the mind and in case any sudden warning signs appear then report to your health care provider. These precautions are:

• Patients should be monitored for the blood pressure regularly.
• Patients should be monitored for the symptoms of perforations and fistulas.

3. Trametinib:

Trametinib belongs to the kinase inhibitor class drug used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and unresectable thyroid cancer. This drug is available in tablet form of two different concentrations 0.5mg and 2mg. Store this drug away from children in the refrigerator ranging the temperature between 36°F to 46°F. Do not change the water before freezing and don't remove the antifreeze packet. The dosage of the trametinib tablet depends upon the type of cancer, other health problems, and other medications.

Side Effects: The side effects of Mekinist trametinib when used as a single agent include lymphedema, rash, and diarrhea. Some side effects when this drug is combined with dabrafenib include vomiting, diarrhea, Rash, nausea, chills, headache, pyrexia, myalgia, arthralgia, hypertension, and peripheral edema. 

Precautions: Some serious precaution of this trametinib tablet include:

• Continuously monitor cardiomyopathy to decrease any toxicity during the treatment.
• Perform an ophthalmologic evaluation for any ocular toxicity during the treatment.
• Permanently delete continue the drug if interstitial lung disease occurs.
• When trametinib 2mg is combined with dabrafenib it can cause serious Febrile reactions.
• Serious skin toxicities have been reported.
• Regularly monitor the serum Glucose level in patients suffering from hyperglycemia.
• This drug causes potential harm to the fetus if administered to pregnant women.

4. Vandetanib:

It is a kinase inhibitor drug used in the treatment of metastatic or unresectable locally advanced progressive medullary thyroid cancer. This drug is available in tablet form of concentration 100mg and 300 mg. 

Side Effects: Some common side effects of vandetanib include upper respiratory tract infection, abdominal pain, decreased appetite, hypertension, Rash, diarrhea, nausea, and acneiform dermatitis.

Precautions: Certain precautions should be kept in the mind and in case any sudden warning signs appear then report to your health care provider. These precautions are:

• Women are apprised to avoid pregnancy while on vandetanib and for 4 months after treatment. 
• Patients should be monitored for the electrocardiograms and levels of serum potassium, calcium, magnesium and TSH at baseline, 2 to 4 weeks and 8 to 12 weeks after initiating vandetanib treatment. 

5. Sorafenib tosylate:

Sorafenib tosylate is a kinase inhibitor drug used in the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and advanced renal cell carcinoma. This drug works by blocking the hay enzymes that are needed for tumor cell growth. Sorafenib tosylate 200 mg tablet is generally administered twice in a day. The dosage of sorafenib depends upon several factors which should be discussed by your doctor.

Side Effects: Some common side effects of sorafenib 200 mg drug include nausea, hemorrhage, hypertension, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal pain, decreased appetite, rash, weight loss, diarrhea, infection, fatigue, alopecia, and hand-foot skin reaction. 

Precautions: Some of the precautions that should be kept in mind and if any sudden warning signs occur then directly consult with your health care professional. These warnings are:

• Dermatologic Toxicities: discontinuity dose of drug if this toxicity occurs.
• Gastrointestinal Perforation: discontinue the sorafenib tablet temporarily. 
• There are several abnormal liver function tests that are caused by the consumption of sorafenib tosylate.
• Sorafenib should not be administered by pregnant women as it may cause embryo-fetus damage.

6. Dabrafenib mesylate: 

It belongs to the kinase inhibitor class used in the treatment of metastatic or recurrent thyroid cancer. It is available in capsule form of concentration 50 mg and 75mg. 

The regular dose of the dabrafenib Mesylate drug is determined by the doctor however it is advised to not mix the dabrafenib drug with food as food can disturb the concentration of dabrafenib in the body.

Precautions: Certain precautions should be kept in the mind and in case any sudden warning signs appear then report to your health care provider. These precautions are:

• Patients should be monitored for new malignancies before, during therapy, and after the discontinuation of treatment.
• Patients taking dabrafenib mesylate should be monitored for the signs and symptoms of the bleeding. 
• Assess LVEF prior to treatment with dabrafenib, following 1 month of treatment, then every 2-3 months thereafter. 
• Patients should be closely monitored for hemolytic anemia.
• Patients should be monitored for serum glucose levels with pre-existing diabetes or hyperglycemia.

Side Effects: Some common side effects of this drug include myalgia, constipation, decreased appetite, night sweats, cough, peripheral edema, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, Rash, chills, pyrexia, arthralgia, alopecia, hyperkeratosis, pyrexia, papilloma, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome.

NOTE: The piece of information mentioned about "List of medications which is useful in Thyroid Cancer" in this article is just for the informational purposes and is not served as a substitute for medical treatment, consultation, diagnosis of a qualified doctor.