Tarceva Side Effects

• diarrhea
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• vomiting
• heartburn
• gas
• constipation
• stomach pain
• mouth sores
• weight loss
• extreme tiredness
• headache
• bone or muscle pain
• depression
• anxiety
• numbness, burning, or tingling of the hands or feet
• swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• darkening of skin
• hair loss
• changes in the appearance of the hair and nails

• rash (may look like acne and may affect the skin on the face, upper chest, or back)
• blistering, peeling, dry, or cracked skin
• itching, tenderness, or burning of the skin
• shortness of breath
• cough
• fever or chills
• growth of eyelashes on the inside of the eyelid
• dry, red, painful, or irritated eyes
• blurred vision
• chest pain or pressure
• pain in the arms, neck, or upper back
• rapid, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
• slow or difficult speech
• dizziness or faintness
• weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
• unusual bruising or bleeding
• black and tarry or bloody stools
• vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds
• sunken eyes
• dry mouth
• decreased urination
• dark urine
• pale or yellow skin
• redness, warmth, pain, tenderness, or swelling in one leg

Warnings & Recalls for Tarceva

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to erlotinib, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in Tarceva tablets. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: angiogenesis inhibitors; anticoagulants such as warfarin; certain antifungals such as itraconazole, ketoconazole and voriconazole; carbamazepine; ciprofloxacin; clarithromycin; HIV protease inhibitors such as atazanavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and saquinavir; H₂ blockers such as cimetidine, famotidine, nizatidine and ranitidine; medications for acne such as benzoyl peroxide; midazolam; nefazodone; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen; oral steroids such as dexamethasone, methylprednisolone and prednisone; phenobarbital; phenytoin; proton pump inhibitors such as esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole; rifabutin; rifampin; rifapentine; taxane medications for cancer such as docetaxel and paclitaxel; telithromycin and troleandomycin. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may also interact with Tarceva, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
• if you are taking antacids, take them several hours before or several hours after you take Tarceva.
• tell your doctor what herbal products you are taking, especially St. John's wort.
• tell your doctor if you are being treated or have recently been treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy (treatment for cancer that uses waves of high energy particles to kill cancer cells). Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had lung disease or infection, stomach ulcers, diverticular disease (condition in which abnormal pouches form in the large intestine and may become inflamed), or liver or kidney disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant while you are taking Tarceva and for at least 2 weeks after your treatment. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during your treatment. If you become pregnant while taking Tarceva, call your doctor immediately. Tarceva may harm the fetus.
• tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking erlotinib.
• tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may decrease the effectiveness of Tarceva.
• plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear a hat, other protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 and contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Exposure to sunlight increases the risk that you will develop a rash during your treatment with Tarceva.
• you should know that Tarceva may cause rashes and other skin problems. To protect your skin, use a mild alcohol-free moisturizer, wash your skin with mild soap, and remove cosmetics with a mild cleanser.

Tarceva Treatment and Use

Tarceva | Erlotinib hydrochloride is a drug that’s used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, carcinoma of the pancreas as well as several other types of cancer.  It is a reversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor which actively works on the epidermal growth factor receptor.  This drug is often the drug of last resort for patients who have undergone chemotherapy unsuccessfully in the past and haven’t gotten better.  Tarceva is often used with the drug Gemzar for full and efficacious treatment and potency.  In the US, it is marketed by Astellas Oncology and Genentech, which is a subsidiary of Roche.  As it relates to lung cancer, it extends life by an average of 3.3 months at a cost of $95,000 a dose.  It is administered orally.

The SATURN (Sequential Tarceva in Unresectable NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer)) study has found that Tarceva in addition to chemotherapy improves odds of overall survival by 19% and that Tarceva improved progression-free survival (PFS) by 29% compared to a chemotherapy regimen alone.  This drug is FDA approved as of November of 2005 for the treatment of NSCLC and carcinoma of the pancreas in patients who have failed at least one prior instance of chemotherapy.

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