Chronic kidney disease 3 and Calquence

[PACWOMAN]

iI'm about to start treatment with Calquence,and noticed on my last blood test thatI have ckd 3. My consultant never mentioned it, and I'm a bit concerned that it will be made worse by taking such a powerful drug. Has anyone else had this problem?

[AussieNeil Administrator]

CKD of 3 is usually when kidney damage is discovered, that is early stage: k idney dy6kidneyfund.org/all-about-ki...

By all means raise this concern with your specialist, but I expect that provided you drink the required amount fluids, you'll be fine. Remember, Calquence is powerful against CLL. It's power comes from the way it was designed to selectively target CLL cells, minimally bothering other cells other than maturing B cells.

Neil

[PACWOMAN in reply to AussieNeil]

Thanks for your reply Neil, you have such a wealth of knowledge! It's great to have someone explain things, although I can't believe the consultant didn't even mention it! I don't seem to have any symptoms of ckd or cll, apart from anaemia, but maybe ckd is contributing to this. Wish in a way I'd never had a blood test, as knowing that something is wrong causes so much stress, when I am still fit and healthy, enjoying an active life.

[AussieNeil Administrator in reply to PACWOMAN]

That you are fit, well and active is in your favour.

Don't be surprised if your kidney function improves with time on Calquence. Watch for changes in your creatinine and eGFR. While CLL is strictly a lymphoma and prefers the nodes, spleen (specialised large node), none marrow and blood, it can infiltrate our organs. The liver is the most commonly infiltrated, followed by the kidneys.

Neil

[lankisterguy Volunteer]

Hi PACWOMAN,

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I recall that the BTKis like Acalabrutinib are found to be eliminated from the body mostly by the fecal route and have a minimal loading on the kidneys. This is sometimes mentioned as a reason to choose the BTKis instead of Venetoclax when a patient has kidney issues, and a reason to avoid grapefruit & similar CYP3A inhibitors / drugs that slow the passing of the excess treatment drug.

For more details please see: go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB11703

dmd.aspetjournals.org/conte...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

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You should discuss this in detail with your consultant and PCP so they can advise on any lifestyle or diet changes that will help you improve your overall health and survival.

Please remember that many CLL patients succumb to causes other than CLL, and kidney failure could be serious.

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Len

[Big_Dee in reply to lankisterguy]

Hello lankisterguy

That was very interesting, I have wondered how meds were discharged.

[PACWOMAN in reply to lankisterguy]

Thank you Len, it's good to know that Calquence is unlikely to harm my kidneys. I know doctors are overworked and don't have time to explain everything, but I will mention it to the nurse next week.