Are the side effects of Elacetrant serious?

Elacestrant is a new oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD). It is mainly used to treat female patients with advanced breast cancer who have received endocrine therapy and have estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. The biggest highlight of the drug is that its oral dosage form breaks the limitation that SERD drugs require intramuscular injection in the past, bringing new convenience to endocrine treatment of tumors. However, like all anti-cancer drugs, although elastran has clear efficacy, it is still accompanied by a certain degree of side effects, and some reactions require special attention.

The most common side effect in clinical studies is gastrointestinal discomfort, with nausea being the most prominent problem. More than one-third of patients may experience nausea in the early stages of medication, and some patients may experience vomiting, loss of appetite or mild diarrhea. These symptoms usually gradually resolve after continuous medication, but they have a certain impact on daily life. In order to alleviate these discomforts, it is recommended that patients take the medicine with meals and use antiemetics or adjust their diet under the guidance of a doctor.

Fatigue and decreased energy are the second most common side effects. This type of fatigue is different from ordinary fatigue and may be related to the effect of medications on hormone levels, or may be caused by the cancer itself or combined treatments. It is usually recommended that patients maintain a regular schedule and allocate physical activities reasonably during treatment. If the effects of fatigue are severe, the doctor must be promptly reported to adjust the dosage.

From the overall tolerability point of view, the side effects of Lastran are relatively mild and can be alleviated through rational medication, combined treatment, or dietary and lifestyle adjustments. Most patients can adapt to these adverse reactions after persisting in treatment rather than interrupting treatment due to side effects. It is worth emphasizing that in the event of severe discomfort or repeated nausea, jaundice, obvious fatigue, palpitations, etc., the patient should contact the attending physician as soon as possible to evaluate whether the dosage needs to be adjusted or the drug discontinued.

References:https://www.drugs.com/mtm/elacestrant.html