This belongs to the group of medicines known as cytotoxic agents. Vepesid is used to treat certain types of lung cancer and cancer of the testicles.

Vepesid works by preventing the growth and division of cells and therefore stops them increasing in numbers.

Vepesid is available in capsule and injection form.

It is also sometimes known as: Vepesid, Etopophos. You may notice the use of any of these names on the packaging of your medicine.

Why is this drug prescribed?

Vepesid capsules contain the active ingredient etoposide, which is an anticancer chemotherapy drug. Cancers form when some cells within the body multiply uncontrollably and abnormally. These cells spread, destroying nearby tissues. Etoposide works by stopping the cancer cells from multiplying. Like normal healthy cells, cancer cells go through a continuous process of change. Each cell divides into two daughter cells. These cells grow, rest and then divide again. Etoposide prevents the cells from entering mitosis of the cell's life cycle. It also destroys cells in the previous phase before mitosis where proteins are made. Unfortunately, etoposide can also affect normal, healthy cells, particularly those that multiply quickly, such as blood cells and hair cells. The most important side effect is on the bone marrow where blood cells are made. Etoposide can decrease the production of blood cells, leaving people susceptible to infection. Regular blood tests are therefore needed to monitor the levels of blood cells. In most chemotherapy regimens, doses are administered in courses at various intervals to allow normal cells to recover from the adverse effects of the anticancer drugs between doses. However, during this period, cancer cells will also recover and start to replicate again. Successful treatment depends on the administration of the next course of therapy before the cancer has regrown to its previous size and the net effect is to decrease the amount of cancer with each successive course. Etoposide is used principally in combination with other anticancer drugs, though it can also be used alone. It is usually given every day for three to five days. The course is then repeated not more frequently than at intervals of 21 days. Vepesid capsules are taken by mouth; they should be swallowed whole on an empty stomach.

Treatments

* Small cell lung cancer. * Testicular cancer. * In addition to these licensed uses, etoposide may also be used by specialists to treat other types of cancer, including leukaemia and lymphoma.

What side effects can this drug cause?

* Decrease in the number of white blood cells in the blood. * Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. * Reversible hair loss. * Nausea and vomiting. * Decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood. * Abdominal pain. * Loss of appetite. * Diarrhoea or constipation. * Sore mouth or throat. * Changes in blood pressure. * Breathing difficulties due to a narrowing of the airways. * Disorder of the peripheral nerves causing weakness and numbness. * Sleepiness. * Fatigue. * Alteration in taste. * Fever. * Skin reactions such as rash, itching or darkening of skin. * Difficulty swallowing. * Alteration in results of liver function tests.