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Etoposide Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of etoposide include off label use, febrile neutropenia, and neutropenia, based on 75,510 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 5.9% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

#1 Reported: Off Label UseAll side effects ↓Top Co-Medication: CyclophosphamideDrug interactions ↓53% of Reports Are AdultDemographics ↓

Etoposide side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for etoposide.

1
Off Label Use10.5%7,950
2
Febrile Neutropenia9.2%6,925
3
Drug Ineffective5.9%4,438
4
Neutropenia5.8%4,385
5
Disease Progression5.7%4,308
6
Thrombocytopenia4.8%3,629
7
Product Use In Unapproved Indication4.1%3,099
8
Anaemia4.0%3,049
9
Pyrexia3.9%2,952
10
Sepsis3.4%2,594
11
Death3.4%2,586
12
Pancytopenia3.2%2,432
13
Nausea2.8%2,132
14
Pneumonia2.7%2,067
15
Diarrhoea2.7%2,017

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that etoposide caused these reactions.

Report severity

97.0%Serious73,249 reports
34.5%Hospitalizations26,014 reports
23.9%Fatal18,049 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Etoposide drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside etoposide. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Cyclophosphamide34.6%26,132
2
Vincristine-sulfate29.2%22,036
3
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride28.8%21,714
4
Carboplatin25.0%18,910
5
Cisplatin21.5%16,258
6
Rituximab18.7%14,133
7
Cytarabine18.3%13,836
8
Ifosfamide17.8%13,473
9
Dexamethasone16.2%12,235
10
Prednisone14.9%11,231
11
Methotrexate14.5%10,931
12
Melphalan8.0%6,070
13
Bleomycin-sulfate6.6%4,959
14
Prednisolone6.2%4,652
15
Atezolizumab4.9%3,719

Taken alongside

1
Dexamethasone6.6%4,964
2
Cyclophosphamide6.3%4,743
3
Carboplatin4.8%3,634
4
Ondansetron4.7%3,522
5
Vincristine-sulfate4.6%3,456
6
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride4.3%3,215
7
Cisplatin4.0%3,057
8
Prednisone3.5%2,618
9
Acyclovir3.4%2,598
10
Acetaminophen3.4%2,570
11
Cytarabine3.3%2,465
12
Sulfamethoxazole2.8%2,098
13
Methotrexate2.6%1,988
14
Filgrastim2.6%1,951
15
Ifosfamide2.5%1,862

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports etoposide side effects

32.7% of etoposide adverse event reports involve female patients and 47.0% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 53%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female32.7%
Male47.0%
Unknown20.3%

Age group

< 24.1%
2–1112.4%
12–177.9%
18–6453.3%
65+22.2%

What is etoposide used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking etoposide when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal LymphadenopathyAbdominal NeoplasmAbdominal PainAcinar Cell Carcinoma Of PancreasAcinic Cell Carcinoma Of Salivary GlandAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeActh-producing Pituitary TumourAcute Lymphoblastic LeukemiaAcute Biphenotypic LeukaemiaAcute LeukaemiaAcute Leukaemia In RemissionAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic Leukaemia RecurrentAcute Lymphocytic Leukaemia RefractoryAcute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Showing 15 of 1,976 indications

Etoposide brand names and reporting trend

Etoposide is sold under brand names including Toposar, Etopophos Preservative Free.

Brand names

Toposar90,182
Etopophos Preservative Free1,345

Quarterly reports (2004–2025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking etoposide with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.

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