From the Guidelines
Lanreotide can cause several side effects, including gastrointestinal issues, injection site reactions, gallbladder abnormalities, and metabolic effects, as reported in the most recent study 1.
Common Side Effects
- Gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation
- Injection site reactions like pain, redness, and swelling
- Gallbladder abnormalities including gallstones
- Metabolic effects, including high blood sugar or diabetes
Less Common Side Effects
- Fatigue, headache, dizziness, and decreased thyroid function
- Heart rhythm abnormalities, severe allergic reactions, and pancreatitis
Monitoring and Management
Patients should report persistent or severe side effects to their healthcare provider immediately, and regular monitoring of blood glucose, thyroid function, and gallbladder status is typically recommended during treatment, as suggested by 1. The dosage of lanreotide should be balanced between efficacy and side effects, with a dose of 120 mg every 4 weeks associated with greater reductions in liver volume, but more side effects, than a lower dose of 90 mg every 4 weeks 1.
Key Considerations
- Most patients experience gastrointestinal discomfort during the first injections, which gradually fades over time 1
- Therapy cessation after short-term treatment usually results in a relapse of liver growth, but patients who discontinued treatment can benefit from retreatment 1
- The therapy is well tolerated, and serious adverse events leading to withdrawal are infrequent (<5%) 1
From the FDA Drug Label
1 Patients with any Adverse Reactions1579235686 Gastrointestinal disorders1217123557 Diarrhea81 48155 37 Abdominal pain34 2079 19 Nausea15 946 11 Constipation9 533 8 Flatulence12 730 7 Vomiting85287 Loose stools169236 In the pooled clinical studies of SOMATULINE DEPOT therapy, a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) reactions occurred, the majority of which were mild to moderate in severity. The most commonly occurring adverse reactions in the pooled analysis were:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Cholelithiasis
Other adverse reactions reported include:
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Flatulence
- Vomiting
- Loose stools
- Headache
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Injection site reaction
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypertension
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Dyspnea These side effects are based on data from patients treated with lanreotide, as reported in the drug label 2.
From the Research
Lanreotide Side Effects
- The most common toxicities associated with lanreotide include fatigue, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, and cholelithiasis 3
- Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is a rare but serious complication of chronic use of somatostatin analogues, including lanreotide 4
- EPI can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, and deficiency of vitamins and trace elements 4
- Other side effects of lanreotide may include injection-site pain, hyperglycemia, and biliary disorders 4, 5
- The safety profile of lanreotide is generally considered good, with no severe or unexpected toxicities reported compared to standard-dose somatostatin analogues 3
Disease Control and Response
- Lanreotide has been shown to achieve significant rates of disease control, with disease control rates ranging from 30 to 100% 3
- However, response rates are generally modest, with objective response rates ranging from 0 to 14% 3
- Biochemical improvement and symptom improvement have been reported in some patients, with rates ranging from 23 to 100% and 27 to 100%, respectively 3