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- • Low blood potassium , calcium and magnesium levels may be found but can generally be easily corrected and
- disappear after therapy.
- • Lung scarring can occur when bleomycin is used, so pulmonary function tests are used to monitor any change.
- If lung function decreases, the drug must be stopped. It is rarely fatal or produces symptoms with present
- doses.
- • There have been rare reports of heart attacks and high blood pressure with some older combinations, but the
- newer regimens that are given for a much shorter time—only three to four months— should alleviate this
- uncommon toxicity.
- • The question of very delayed high blood pressure (hypertension) because of magnesium and renin imbalance
- has not yet been resolved, so blood pressure should be monitored at each follow-up. Since one study noted an
- increase in serum cholesterol, a lipid profile should be checked yearly.
- • Following some chemotherapy combinations, particularly PVB, there have been reports of a chronic vascular
- disorder called Raynaud's phenomenon in 10 to 20 percent of cases. Again, this issue should be minimized
- with newer combinations and a smaller total bleomycin dose.
- • Sex drive (libido) is not changed by treatment and neither are erections. Chemotherapy may temporarily or
- permanently decrease the sperm count. Male hormone replacement is needed in men having orchiectomy for
- bilateral testicular cancers.
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