From the Guidelines
Most patients experience gastrointestinal discomfort from Lanreotide, such as steatorrhea-like symptoms, which gradually fade over time. The side effects from Lanreotide can improve with time as the body adjusts to the medication, with most patients experiencing the most intense side effects during the initial injections 1.
Common Side Effects
- Gastrointestinal discomfort, such as steatorrhea-like symptoms, is common during the first injections but tends to decrease over time 1.
- Other infrequent side effects of somatostatin analogues, like Lanreotide, include cholelithiasis, hypo- and hyperglycaemia, and alopecia 1.
Management and Improvement
The dosage of Lanreotide is 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. As the body adapts to the medication's effects on hormone regulation and digestive processes, individual experiences may vary based on dosage, underlying condition, and personal factors 1. Patients should stay well-hydrated and maintain regular communication with their healthcare provider about persistent symptoms. Serious adverse events leading to withdrawal are infrequent, occurring in less than 5% of patients 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.
From the FDA Drug Label
The data below reflect exposure to SOMATULINE DEPOT in 101 patients with GEP-NETs, including 87 patients exposed for at least 6 months and 72 patients exposed for at least 1 year (median duration of exposure 22 months). The rates of discontinuation due to treatment-emergent adverse reactions were 5% (5/101 patients) in the SOMATULINE DEPOT arm and 3% (3/103 patients) in the placebo arm
The side effects from Lanreotide do not have clear information on improvement over time, as the drug label does not provide direct information on the trend of side effects over time 2.
- The label reports the incidence of adverse reactions, but does not provide information on whether these reactions decrease or persist over time.
- The label does report the duration of exposure and the median duration of exposure, but does not provide information on how side effects change over this time.
- The discontinuation rates due to adverse reactions are reported, but this does not provide information on whether side effects improve over time for patients who continue treatment.
From the Research
Side Effects of Lanreotide
- The side effects of lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue, have been studied in various clinical settings 3, 4.
- Lanreotide is used to treat neuroendocrine tumors and carcinoid syndrome, and its side effects are generally well-tolerated 3.
- The toxicity profile of lanreotide is mostly predictable, and patients should be informed of the transient nature of some of the upfront toxicities 3.
- Gastrointestinal side effects, such as diarrhea and steatorrhea, have been reported with lanreotide treatment, but these may diminish with long-term treatment 5, 6.
- Other side effects, such as hypoglycemia, have been reported with somatostatin analogues, including octreotide, but it is not clear if these side effects improve with time 5, 6.
Improvement of Side Effects with Time
- There is limited information available on whether the side effects of lanreotide improve with time 3, 4.
- One study suggests that gastrointestinal side effects may diminish with long-term treatment 5.
- However, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term side effect profile of lanreotide and whether side effects improve over time 3, 4.