Diabetes and targeted therapy
How targeted therapy can affect your diabetes
If you have diabetes, some targeted therapy drugs may affect your blood sugar level while you are having treatment. Depending on which drug you are taking, your blood sugar level may get higher or lower.
Your blood sugar levels should return to normal once you stop having targeted therapy treatment.
The targeted therapy drugs sorafenib (Nexavar®) and sunitinib (Sutent®) can lower your blood sugar.
The following targeted therapy drugs can increase your blood sugar level:
- bortezomib (Velcade®)
- cabozantinib(Cabometyx®, Cometriq®)
- ceritinib (Zykadia®)
- dabrafenib (Tafinlar®)
- everolimus (Afinitor®)
- gemtuzumab (Mylotarg®)
- lenvatinib (Lenvima®, Kisplyx®)
- nilotinib (Tasigna®)
- panitumumab (Vectibix®)
- ponatinib (Iclusig®)
- rituximab (Mabthera®)
- temsirolimus (Torisel®)
- trametinib (Mekinist®).
The side effects of some targeted therapy drugs can be worse if you have diabetes. Your cancer doctor or specialist nurse can give you more information.
Controlling your blood sugar during targeted therapy
A course of targeted therapy treatment may last a few months, but can also last a few years. During treatment, you may need to check your blood sugar level more often. Sometimes, you may need to change your insulin or tablet dose. Your cancer doctor or specialist nurse will help you with this.
It is important to tell your doctors how well you are controlling your blood sugar level during your treatment.
Talk to your doctor if you do not have diabetes, but develop any of its symptoms while having targeted therapy. You can find out more about symptoms of diabetes at Diabetes UK.
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