What are the typical side effects that may occur when taking Cabozantinib?

Gastrointestinal side effects are one of the most common clinical manifestations during taking Cabozantinib (Cabozantinib), which mainly include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and oral mucositis (mouth ulcers). Diarrhea may affect the patient's daily life and even lead to dehydration. Therefore, timely intervention should be performed at the early stage of symptoms and antidiarrheal drugs such as loperamide should be used. Oral ulcers are common in the first few weeks of treatment, and patients are advised to avoid irritating foods and take better oral care.

Cabozantinib is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor that can easily cause skin side effects, especially hand-foot syndrome (redness, swelling, peeling, pain of hands and feet), rash, itching, etc. This type of side effect is particularly common within 4-6 weeks before taking cabozantinib, and needs to be alleviated by moisturizing, preventing friction, and wearing loose shoes and socks. If symptoms are severe, your doctor may consider reducing the dose or temporarily stopping the medication.

Cabotinib may affect liver and kidney function, and some patients may experience abnormalities such as increased serum aminotransferases (ALT/AST), increased creatinine, and decreased albumin. Therefore, liver and kidney function must be monitored regularly during medication. Once abnormal indicators are found, the dose should be adjusted under the guidance of a doctor or supportive treatments such as liver protection and fluid replenishment should be taken to prevent the development of serious organ damage.

As a class of anti-angiogenic drugs, cabozantinib can cause cardiovascular-related adverse effects such as hypertension, bleeding tendencies, and thrombosis. Especially in patients with a history of underlying hypertension, blood pressure changes should be closely monitored and antihypertensive drugs should be adjusted as needed. In addition, some patients may experience systemic symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and weight loss during use. These side effects are usually controllable, but if they continue to worsen, they should seek medical attention promptly to evaluate whether the treatment strategy needs to be changed.

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