Robin Brenner on Side Effects of Onivyde for Pancreatic Cancer

Robin B. Brenner, RN, CRN, OCN, clinical research nurse, David M. Rubinstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses adverse events associated with Onivyde (irinotecan liposome injection; MM-398) for pancreatic cancer.

Onivyde was FDA approved in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy and leucivorin in October 2015 to treat patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Some adverse events associated with the treatment — such as nausea and diarrhea — may overlap with symptoms of the disease itself, Brenner says.

Other severe adverse events include neutropenia, an abnormally low count of a type of white blood cell. Brenner says that nurses need to be aware of the side effects and prepared to manage the symptoms.