Doxorubicin

For more than 50 years, oncologists prescribed doxorubicin for the treatment of numerous cancers, including mesothelioma. Although the drug is highly effective, its use is limited by its potential to damage heart muscle tissue. It is commonly used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs.

Diagnosed with mesothelioma? Get a free guide to learn about the latest treatment options.

Access information on top mesothelioma treatments.

Free Mesothelioma Treatment Guide

Written by Karen Selby, RN | Medically Reviewed By Dr. Rupesh Kotecha | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: June 27, 2024

What Is Doxorubicin?

Doxorubicin was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 and is used to treat a number of cancers, including breast cancer and lung cancer.

Study results show that the drug can extend the lives of mesothelioma patients. The results show even more improved survival times when it is used along with other chemotherapy drugs, but using such a combination has potential to cause long-term side effects.

It is important to consider the benefits and risks of chemotherapy with the guidance of your oncologist and the support of your loved ones.

How Is Doxorubicin Used?

Doxorubicin is administered intravenously. The duration of administration and the dosage will depend upon whether it is combined with another chemotherapy drug.

Some studies are also testing it in a heated chemotherapy capacity. In heated chemotherapy, surgeons put the heated drug inside the chest or abdominal cavity immediately following surgery to enhance contact with cancer growth.

A 2021 clinical research study concluded that the combination of cisplatin and doxorubicin is the recommended drug regimen for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Several forms of doxorubicin, including Adriamycin and Doxil, have been tested on people with mesothelioma. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (HCL) is sold under the brand name Adriamycin and is manufactured by Pfizer. Doxorubicin HCL liposome injection is sold under the brand name Doxil in the U.S. and as Caelyx in the U.K. and is manufactured by Janssen.

Doxorubicin Information


Name	Doxorubicin
Alternate Names	Adriamycin, Doxil, Caelyx, Doxorubicin Hydrochloride, Doxorubicin HCL, Rubex, Myocet
Manufacturer	Pfizer, Janssen Medical, Teva Parenteral Medicines, Bedford Laboratories, APP Pharmaceuticals
Dosage	75 mg/m² every three weeks
Administration Route	Infusion
Active Ingredient	Doxorubicin HCL
Drug Class	Anthracycline
Medical Code	J9000, J9002, Q2049, Q2050
Related Drug	Daunorubicin
Interacting Drug	Progesterone, turmeric, St. John’s wort, paclitaxel, anti-seizure medications, calcium channel blockers, azole antifungals, rifamycins, verapamil, cyclosporine, dexrazoxane, cytarabine, sorafenib, cyclophosphamide, digoxin, streptozocin, saquinavir, stavudine, trastuzumab, zidovudine
Medical Studies	Clinical Trial of Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (HIPEC/IPHC)
FDA Warning	Heart toxicity, nausea and vomiting, secondary cancer, immune suppression, myelosuppression, phlebitis/thrombophlebitis, liver damage, fetal harm

Dr. Jacques Fontaine and Dr. Andrea Wolf

Find a Top Mesothelioma Doctor

Gain access to top mesothelioma doctors and get help scheduling appointments.

Connect Now

What Are the Side Effects of Doxorubicin?

The most common side effects of doxorubicin include hair loss, darkening of nails, nausea, vomiting, bruising, abnormal heartbeat and stomach pain. If you feel pain, itching, redness, swelling, blisters or sores near the injection site following administration, inform your doctor promptly.

Patients treated with doxorubicin also have a slightly elevated risk of developing leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (which can develop into leukemia) years after treatment. The risk of leukemia increases in patients treated with a combination of doxorubicin and other chemotherapy drugs. In a review of 8,563 breast cancer patients who received treatment with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, 45 developed leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

Study Results

According to a review of mesothelioma clinical trials published in the journal Cancer, doxorubicin administered alone resulted in a median life span of seven to nine months. By combining it with other chemotherapy agents, median life span increases to seven to 13 months. Some people with mesothelioma have surpassed the median life expectancy by several years after combination chemotherapy. Patients with the epithelial cell type of mesothelioma tend to respond better to doxorubicin than patients with other cell types.

In one study, 67 peritoneal mesothelioma patients were treated with doxorubicin and the chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and cisplatin. The patients achieved a median survival of 79 months, or about 6.5 years, and one patient lived past 12 years.

Quick Fact:

Because of increased demand and manufacturing delays of doxorubicin, most pharmaceutical companies had a shortage of the drug in 2011.

A small Japanese study on peritoneal mesothelioma patients published in 2010 confirmed these results. It studied the efficacy of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin alone and in combination with other chemotherapy agents. The study found that cisplatin was most effective in mesothelioma patients when it was combined with doxorubicin rather than with gemcitabine or pemetrexed, two other successful chemotherapy drugs.

An interesting case report of a nine-year survivor with pleural mesothelioma who responded well to combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin was published in 2012. The 67-year-old man was treated with the chemotherapy drugs etoposide, paclitaxel and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride (a form of doxorubicin that is more absorbed by tumors than normal tissues). The patient’s follow-up continues, and CT scans indicate the cancer hasn’t progressed for nine years.

Research continues to investigate the therapeutic benefits of doxorubicin for people with mesothelioma. Clinical trials in the United States and in other countries are ongoing.

Cite This Article

This Page Contains 17 Cited Articles

The sources on all content featured in The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com include medical and scientific studies, peer-reviewed studies and other research documents from reputable organizations.

Sezer, T.O. et al. (2021, March 15). Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Malign Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Clinical Aspects and Therapeutic Perspectives. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12262-021-02809-y
American Cancer Society (2011). Chemotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/malignant-mesothelioma/treating/chemotherapy.html
Chemocare (2005). Chemotherapy drugs: Doxorubicin. Retrieved from http://www.chemocare.com/bio/doxorubicin.asp
Cognetti, F., Ceribelli, An & Cecere, F.L. (2008). Clinical oncology of mesothelioma. In A. Baldi (Ed.), Mesothelioma from Bench Side to Clinic, pp. 347-356.
Food and Drug Administration (2011). Current drug shortages. Retrieved from https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/
Food and Drug Administration (2011). FDA-approved drug products: Doxorubicin hydrochloride. Retrieved from http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.Search_Drug_Name
Jänne, P.A. (2003). Chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Clinical Lung Cancer, 5(2), pp. 98-106. Retrieved from http://cigjournals.metapress.com/content/b13l5km75wq742q0/fulltext.pdf
Medline Plus (2011). Doxorubicin. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682221.html
National Cancer Institute (2011). Cancer drug information: Doxorubicin hydrochloride. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/doxorubicinhydrochloride
National Cancer Institute (2011). Dictionary of cancer terms: Doxorubicin. Retrieved from http://cancer.gov/dictionary?cdrid=45140
Kim, S.T., et al (2010). The efficacy of the frontline platinum-based combination chemotherapy in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 40(11), pp. 1031-1036. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jjco/article/40/11/1031/906872/The-Efficacy-of-the-Frontline-Platinum-based
Pfizer Inc. (2011). Doxorubicin hydrochloride for injection. Retrieved from http://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=530
Smith, R.E., Bryant, J., DeCillis, A., & Anderson, S. (2003). Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome after doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide adjuvant therapy for operable breast cancer: The national surgical adjuvant breast and bowel project experience. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 21(7): 1195-1204. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12663705/
Yan, T.D., et al (2006). A systemic review on the efficacy of cytoreductive surgery combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy for diffuse malignancy peritoneal mesothelioma. Annals of Oncology, 18, pp. 827-834. Retrieved from http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/5/827.full.pdf
Zarogoulidis, P., Mavroudi, M., Porpodis, K., Domvri, K., Sakkas, A., Machairiotis, N., & Zarogoulidis, K. (2012). Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in malignant pleural mesothelioma: A possible guardian for long-term survival. Journal of Onco Targers and Therapy, 5: 231-236. doi: 10.2147/OTT.S36915
Lerner, H.J. et al. (1983). Malignant Mesothelioma: The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Experience. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1097-0142%2819831201%2952%3A11%3C1981%3A%3AAID-CNCR2820521102%3E3.0.CO%3B2-P
Tomek, S. et al. (2003). Chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma: Past results and recent developments. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/6600673