[Eric Hofacket]

Pomalyst "signs of tumor cell breakdown-lower back pain"?

by Eric Hofacket on Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:07 am

In reading the side effects of Pomalyst (pomalidomide) I see the following:

"signs of tumor cell breakdown-lower back pain"

Anybody know just what that means or what is the mechanism is for tumor cell breakdown to cause lower back pain?

Eric

[Multibilly]

Re: Pomalyst "signs of tumor cell breakdown-lower back pain"

by Multibilly on Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:50 am

Eric,

I'm guessing that this is another way of referring to tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), where the drug can cause a rapid breakdown of the cancerous tumors, which in turn can overwhelm the kidney's ability to process all the byproducts of that rapid cellular breakdown, which can the lead to back pain as a result of the kidneys being overwhelmed.

TLS is a known side effect of Pomalyst.

But, again, this is all just a guess on my part.

[Cheryl G]

Re: Pomalyst "signs of tumor cell breakdown-lower back pain"

by Cheryl G on Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:31 am

Hi Eric,

I think Multibilly's feedback is correct. The wording you found seems to be from the Drugs.com information about Pomalyst. I can't seem to find it anywhere else -- it's not in the FDA prescribing information for the drug, or in the more "patient friendly" "medication guide" that often accompanies the prescribing information.

The full wording of the section that contains the phrase you quoted is as follows:

Call your doctor at once if you have:

• blistering and peeling of your skin;
• numbness, tingling, or burning pain in your hands or feet;
• heart attack symptoms - chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating;
• liver problems - nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• low blood cell counts - fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, swollen gums, mouth sores, skin sores, rapid heart rate, pale skin, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, feeling light-headed;
• signs of a stroke - sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), sudden severe headache, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance;
• signs of a blood clot in the lung - chest pain, sudden cough, wheezing, rapid breathing, coughing up blood;
• signs of a blood clot in your leg - pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in one or both legs; or
• signs of tumor cell breakdown - lower back pain, blood in your urine, little or no urinating; numbness or tingly feeling around your mouth; muscle weakness or tightness; fast or slow heart rate, weak pulse, feeling short of breath; confusion, fainting.

As you can see, when there are items that have a hyphen, as is the case in the text you quoted, the text that comes after the hyphen is intended to be a further explanation of the text before the hyphen.

So the text

lower back pain, blood in your urine, little or no urinating; numbness or tingly feeling around your mouth; muscle weakness or tightness; fast or slow heart rate, weak pulse, feeling short of breath; confusion, fainting"

is intended to be a further explanation of "signs of tumor cell breakdown".

And, yes, "tumor cell breakdown" is, as Multibilly pointed out, just patient-friendly language for tumor lysis syndrome, which is a potential side effect of Pomalyst and many other myeloma treatments.

If you're taking Pomalyst now, I hope you respond well to it and don't have any side effects.

[Eric Hofacket]

Re: Pomalyst "signs of tumor cell breakdown-lower back pain"

by Eric Hofacket on Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:03 pm

Thanks for the replies. I believe you are spot on with it being another description for tumor lysis syndrome.