Amifostine is protective to all EXCEPT:
Amifostine (WR 2721) is a cytoprotectant which reduces toxicity to various chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens. It shows chemoprotective effects against cisplatin-related renal-and neurotoxicity, and neutropenia due to cisplatin-cyclphosphamide combination therapy. In addition, preliminary studies indicate amifostine is as effective as granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) at reducing carboplatin-related neutropenia and is more effective than G-CSF at reducing thrombocytopenia. Fuhermore, early results suggest amifostine may protect against some of the toxicities of myeloablative treatment in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Radioprotective effects of amifostine include a reduction in xerostomia due to irradiation in patients with head and neck cancer and a reduction in oesophagitis and pneumonitis in patients undergoing thoracic irradiation. Amifostine has not shown any evidence of tumour protection. However, it does have some adverse events but these are usually reversible and are manageable. Antineoplastic therapeutic regimens are often limited by acute and/or cumulative toxicities. Whilst many of the adverse events associated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy are reversible (e.g. nausea and vomiting, pancytopenia, mucositis, alopecia) some may cause irreversible damage (e.g. cisplatin-related renal and nervous system damage, head and neck irradiation damage to salivary glands causing xerostomia). The occurrence of any of these adverse events may significantly affect patients&; quality of life and may restrict or delay fuher antineoplastic therapy potentially limiting its efficacy. REFERENCE: www.medscape.com
Salivary glands
Skin
CNS
GIT
Chemotherapy