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LUTATHERA side
effects and safety
Understanding side effects with LUTATHERA
All prescription medications come with side effects you need to think about. It’s natural to want to know about the potential side effects before starting treatment. Ask your care team if you have any questions or want more information.
What are the most common side effects of LUTATHERA?
The most common and most serious side effects of LUTATHERA include:
Decreased blood cell counts
Increased liver enzymes
Vomiting
Nausea
Increased blood glucose
Decreased blood potassium levels
Some side effects you should know about before starting LUTATHERA include:
Radiation exposure
Bone marrow problems
Secondary bone marrow and blood cancers
Kidney problems
Liver problems
Allergic reactions
Hormonal gland problems (carcinoid crisis)
Embryo-fetal toxicity
Infertility
There are other possible side effects of LUTATHERA. Talk to your care team if you experience any side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch , or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
What happens if I have side effects?
Your care team will monitor you for side effects during your treatment. This includes doing blood work or other tests. If you experience side effects, there are many ways your care team can help, including:
Giving you medicine to help with side effects (for example, treatment to protect your kidneys)
Delaying your LUTATHERA treatment
Changing the dose of LUTATHERA
Stopping LUTATHERA treatment if needed
Ask your care team for advice if you experience any side effects
Before you start LUTATHERA, it’s important to understand targeted radiation
The radiation from LUTATHERA is targeted to your tumor and does not stay in your body long.
The radiation travels no more than 2.2 millimeters
Beta radiation from LUTATHERA spreads no more than 2.2 millimeters (about 1/10 of an inch) in your tissue. This is similar to the thickness of a nickel coin.
The amount of radiation exposure to those around you is less than a chest x-ray
In a clinical trial, the average total exposure to caregivers in the 5 days after a treatment was less than the exposure from 1 chest x-ray.
Radiation from LUTATHERA does not stay in your body long
Within 2 days, most of the radiation will leave your body.
Within 2 weeks, more than 99% of the radiation will be gone.
Help reduce radiation exposure after treatment
LUTATHERA works differently than other neuroendocrine tumor (NET) treatments. It is a treatment called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) that uses targeted radiation to help treat your cancer.
Your body, blood, and urine give off radiation for a period of time after getting LUTATHERA. It's important to follow these instructions and any others from your doctor:
