The ADC Dato-DXD causes high rates of stomatitis and dry eye that are difficult to treat once they appear. Effective management requires aggressive, proactive prevention from the start of therapy using steroid mouthwash and lubricating eye drops, demanding significant patient engagement and vigilance.

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TDXD is highly emetogenic. Adding low-dose olanzapine to the standard three-drug antiemetic prophylaxis regimen is a transformative strategy that significantly reduces both acute and delayed nausea, making the potent therapy much more tolerable for patients.

Due to fedratinib's significant GI side effect profile and the logistical difficulty of measuring thiamine levels, clinicians should proactively provide patients with thiamine supplements, anti-emetics, and anti-diarrheal therapies. Instructing patients to take the drug with food can also help mitigate GI toxicity.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (TDXD) and datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) share the same cytotoxic payload, yet Dato-DXd has a much lower rate of interstitial lung disease (ILD). This indicates the toxicity is driven by the antibody-antigen interaction, not the payload itself.

Different TROP2-targeted ADCs using the same class of payload (topo-1 inhibitor) display distinct primary toxicities, such as diarrhea versus stomatitis. This highlights that subtle differences in drug-to-antibody ratio and linker technology create unique pharmacological profiles, making the drugs clinically distinct despite their apparent similarities.

Due to significant ocular toxicity affecting most patients, the approved starting dose for belantumab is likely not optimal long-term. Effective management requires clinicians to proactively hold, delay, and reduce doses at the first sign of side effects, meaning real-world application will differ from the initial protocol.

To manage the common side effect of stomatitis from datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), a preemptive strategy is effective. Prescribing steroid mouthwash and advising patients to use ice chips during infusion can reduce the severity and incidence of this toxicity.

The HORIZON-GEA-01 trial for zanidatumab in gastric cancer mandated prophylactic loperamide (4mg BID) for all patients. This was necessary to manage the high rates of diarrhea (up to 80% of patients), a significant GI toxicity associated with the drug's mechanism of action.

For managing nausea from ADCs like TDXD, a three-drug prophylactic regimen (steroid, 5-HT3 antagonist, NK1 inhibitor) is recommended. For delayed nausea, continuing the 5-HT3 antagonist on days two and three is often effective before needing to add agents like olanzapine.

Despite both being Trop-2 targeted antibody-drug conjugates, Sacituzumab Govitecan and Datopotomab duroxotein have distinct side effects due to different linkers and payloads. Sacituzumab causes neutropenia and diarrhea, while Datopotomab is linked to stomatitis and ocular issues, requiring unique management strategies.

Clinical trial data shows that despite specific toxicities, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can be better tolerated overall than standard chemotherapy. For example, trials for both sacituzumab govitecan and dato-DXd reported fewer patients discontinuing treatment in the ADC arm compared to the chemotherapy arm.