Leustatin (Cladribine) for Leukemia

Overview
Leustatin is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with hairy cell leukemia. Leustatin is sometimes used off-label to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Leustatin is also referred to by its drug name, cladribine.

Leustatin is used as a chemotherapy regimen. Leustatin is an anticancer drug. It is a member of a class of drugs called antimetabolites. Leustatin is believed to work by preventing cancer cells from reproducing.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Leustatin should be administered by a health care provider by infusion through the veins over a period of several days.

Leustatin comes in the form of an intravenous infusion.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Leustatin lists common side effects including fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, rash, headache, and low white blood cell counts.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Leustatin include Tumor Lysis Syndrome. Serious nerve toxicity and kidney damage has been reported in individuals receiving higher than recommended dosing.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Leustatin – Chemocare
http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/chl...

Leustatin — Oncolink
https://www.oncolink.org/cancer-treatment/oncol...