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Brief on side effects of Lenalidomide


Lenalidomide is a medicine used for the treatment of certain cancers and serious conditions affecting blood cells and bone marrow, namely multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and mantle cell and follicular lymphoma. In MM (multiple myeloma), a cancer of a type of WBC called plasma cells, Lenalidomide is used:

  • In adults who have had a stem cell transplant (a procedure where the patient’s bone marrow is cleared of cells and replaced by stem cells from a donor).

  • In adults with previously untreated (newly diagnosed) multiple myeloma, who cannot have stem cell transplantation. It is used in combination with dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, or melphalan and prednisone.

  • In adults whose disease has been treated at least once. It is used in combination with dexamethasone.

In myelodysplastic syndromes, a kind of group of bone marrow disorders that cause low red blood cell counts, Lenalidomide is used in those patients who need blood transfusions in order to manage their anaemia. It can be used in those patients who are with a genetic abnormality (called deletion 5q) when other treatments are not adequate. In mantle cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, blood cancers that affect a type of WBC known as B lymphocytes, Revlimid is also used in those adults whose disease has come back after the treatment or does not improve with the treatment. In follicular lymphoma, it is used with the medicine named rituximab. Revlimid mainly contains the active substance lenalidomide.


Side Effects:

The most common side effects with Lenalidomide for multiple myeloma treatment are listed as follows:

  • Bronchitis

  • Nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nose and throat)

  • Cough

  • Gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines with diarrhoea and vomiting)

  • Upper respiratory tract infection (nose and throat infections)

  • Tiredness

  • Low levels of neutrophils

  • Constipation

  • Diarrhoea

  • Muscle cramps

  • Anaemia

  • Thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts)

  • Rash

  • Back pain

  • Insomnia (difficulty sleeping)

  • Decreased appetite

  • Fever

  • Swelling of the limbs due to fluid retention

  • Low white blood cell counts

  • Weakness

  • Nerve damage in the hands and feet

  • Low levels of calcium in the blood

Myelodysplastic Syndromes: The most common side effects with Revlimid when used for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes are as follows:

  • Neutropenia

  • Thrombocytopenia

  • Diarrhoea

  • Constipation

  • Nausea (feeling sick)

  • Itching

  • Rash

  • Tiredness and muscle spasms

Mantle Cell Lymphoma: The most common side effects with Revlimid when used for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma are as illustrated as:

  • Neutropenia

  • Anaemia

  • Diarrhoea

  • Tiredness

  • Constipation

  • Fever and rash

Follicular Lymphoma: The most common side effects with Lenalidomide 10 mg when used to treat follicular lymphoma are mentioned as:

  • Neutropenia

  • Leucopenia

  • Diarrhoea

  • Constipation

  • Tiredness

  • And cough

The most serious adverse effects with this drug are given as:

  • Neutropenia

  • Venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the veins) including pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs)

  • Lung infections including pneumonia

  • Hypotension (low blood pressure)

  • Dehydration

  • Kidney failure

  • Febrile neutropenia (neutropenia with fever)

  • Diarrhoea

  • And anaemia

Lenalidomide 25 mg can be hazardous to the unborn child. Therefore, this drug must not be recommended to be used in women who are pregnant. It should also be avoided in women who might become pregnant.


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