Hycamtin
Analogs of Hycamtin
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Active Ingredient: topotecan
Product Overview
About Hycamtin
Hycamtin is a cancer medicine that contains the active substance topotecan. It is available as a powder to be made up into a solution for infusion (drip) into a vein and as capsules (0.25 and 1 mg).
What it is used for
Hycamtin is used on its own to treat patients with metastatic cancer of the ovary (when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body). It is used after at least one other treatment has failed; small cell lung cancer, when the cancer has relapsed (come back). It is used when giving the original treatment again is not recommended. It is also used together with cisplatin (another cancer medicine) to treat women with cancer of the cervix, when the cancer has come back after radiotherapy, or when the disease is at an advanced stage (has spread beyond the cervix). The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.
How it is used
Treatment with Hycamtin should only be given under the supervision of a doctor experienced in the use of chemotherapy. Infusions should be carried out in a specialised cancer ward. The dose of Hycamtin to be used depends on the type of cancer that it is being used to treat and the patient’s weight and height. When Hycamtin is used on its own for ovarian cancer, it is given by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes. For lung cancer, Hycamtin can be given as an infusion or, for adults, as capsules. For both ovarian and lung cancer, Hycamtin is given every day for five days with a three-week interval between the start of each course. Treatment may continue until the disease gets worse. When used with cisplatin in cervical cancer, Hycamtin is given as an infusion on days 1, 2 and 3 (with cisplatin given on day 1). This is repeated every 21 days for six courses or until the disease gets worse. Doses of Hycamtin may need to be adjusted or treatment delayed, depending on side effects. For full details, see the summary of product characteristics, also part of the EPAR.
How it works
The active substance in Hycamtin, topotecan, is a cancer medicine that belongs to the group ‘topoisomerase inhibitors’. It blocks an enzyme called topoisomerase I, which is involved in the division of DNA. When the enzyme is blocked, the DNA strands break. This prevents the cancer cells from dividing and they eventually die. Hycamtin also affects non-cancer cells, which causes side effects.
Active substance: topotecan
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