6-TG

6-TG has a genetic name of Thioguanine which is also known as Thioguanine Tabloid and often referred to as 6-Thioguanine or 2-Amino-6-Mercaptopurine. An anti cancer or cytotoxic drug it is used to treat various types of cancers. Classified under the antimetabolite it is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia.

This drug is administered orally as 6-TG comes in a pill form. Though the dosage depends upon various facts which are taken into consideration and these are the stage of cancer, weight, height, previous and present body ailments etc. The schedule of the treatment and the amount administered also depends upon the above cited conditions.

The side effects of this drug so far are not very severe though there have been cases of side effects at the onset of the treatment which has continued until the end of the treatment cycle. These side effects are reversible and the side effects ware off after the treatment. The severity of the side effects depends upon the dosage of this drug and the higher the dose the stronger the side effects.

Certain side effects that are noticed commonly are there is a drop in the blood count i.e. there is a decrease in both the white blood cells as well as red blood cells thus making you prone to infections and anemia. Apart from this the other side effects are nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite etc. Tumor lysis is a syndrome that occurs due to leukemia where these cancerous cells are destroyed in a large number.

You need to increase your fluid intake to prevent this problem and keep yourself fully hydrated. Taking Allopurinol is advised to prevent the production of uric acid in the body. You also need to inform your doctor in case you have difficulties in passing urine. Veno-occlusive liver disease or VOD is another side effect due to the high dose of chemotherapy which is followed by stem cell transplant. VOD leads to enlargement of the liver which is painful. Increase in VOD level leads to multi-organ failures which can be fatal.

Thioguanine is known to affect your sexual organs thus reducing your fertility power. These side effects may be due to the use of combination drugs during the chemotherapy cycle. You need to consult your doctor if certain problems persist throughout the day like running temperature, pain in the abdomen, sudden and rapid weight increase, swelling in the body and change in the skin and eye color. If nausea, vomiting, blood in the stool and urine, bleeding of the gums etc are noticed you need to meet your doctor.

Certain precautionary methods - Your doctor needs to know about all the medications you are on be it herbal or vitamin supplements. You need to seek advice before getting yourself vaccine or immunized, any pregnancy need to be brought into notice as thioguanine is known to cause damage to the fetus, breast feeding should be avoided and conceiving should also be avoided.

Thioguanine helps destroy the cancerous cells and also help shrink the tumor in the body and at the same time destroys those healthy and normal cells that surround the cancerous cells.