Ibrutinib is used in the treatment of blood cancer, specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle-cell lymphoma. It is also indicated for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have received at least one prior therapy or have a 17p deletion.
How Ibrutinib works Ibrutinib is a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It functions by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps to stop or slow the spread of cancer cells.
Common side effects of Ibrutinib include fever, headache, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain (bone, muscle, or joint), rash, anemia (low red blood cell count), bruising, muscle spasms, hemorrhage, pneumonia, cough, diarrhea, stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth), nausea, low platelet count, decreased white blood cell count (neutrophils), dry eyes, high blood pressure, weight loss, urinary tract infection, peripheral edema, subdural hematoma, and second primary malignancies.