What Is Hydroxyurea?

Hydroxyurea is a drug that affects certain cells on a molecular level. Generally, this medication is used to treat certain kinds of cancers and blood disorders. It has many side effects ranging from mild to life threatening in magnitude. This treatment is generally only prescribed when the potential health benefits clearly outweigh the risks of side effects.

Although hydroxyurea has unmistakably been shown effective in treating certain cancers, there is no clear consensus within the medical community on how this is accomplished. One theory is that the drug keeps damaged cells from repairing themselves. Another belief is that it prevents cells from maturing, thus making them more susceptible to radiation treatments. Still a third idea, backed by some animal testing, suggests that the drug kills cells in certain stages of development. Cells in this particular stage are usually largely unaffected by radiation therapy.

Certain types of skin cancers, namely melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, seem to respond particularly well to hydroxyurea. While this medication is not generally the first treatment for uterine cancer, it is often considered when complications from the cancer arise or when the cancer is inoperable. Hydroxyurea is also used to treat conditions such as chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and hypereosinophilic syndrome. Both of these conditions cause accelerated white blood cell production. Ironically, in these instances, physicians use the drug for its otherwise potentially dangerous side effect of lowering blood counts.

Occasionally, hydroxyurea is used in patients with sickle-cell anemia. When abnormal red blood cells group together, they may cut off circulation to a specific area of the body. This can cause atrophy of the area and extreme pain. When this condition affects the chest or heart, it may quickly turn life threatening. Low doses of hydroxyurea may be prescribed to treat or prevent this.

This medication has a host of side effects. One of the most dangerous of these is the reduction of most of the cell types in blood. This may result in lowered ability of the body to fight infection, severe anemia, and blood clotting deficiencies. Any of these conditions can cause complications that result in death.

Other side effects of hydroxyurea include general weakness, fatigue, and fever. The drug can also affect the digestive system, causing diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and loss of appetite. Patients can also experience kidney damage and a reduction in liver function. It has also been shown to cause both temporary and, in rarer cases, permanent infertility. In addition, severe birth defects and deformities have been reported in children whose mothers have taken the medication during pregnancy.