Cancer drugs A to Z list
Dabrafenib is a type of called a cancer growth blocker.
You have dabrafenib on its own as a treatment for melanoma skin cancer that:
can’t be removed with surgery (unresectable)
has spread to another area of the body (metastatic or advanced melanoma)
You have dabrafenib with another targeted cancer drug called trametinib for:
3 melanoma skin cancer that has been removed with surgery
advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Find out about having dabrafenib and trametinib
This page is about having dabrafenib on its own.
Dabrafenib is a type of cancer growth blocker. It works by targeting certain proteins made by the changed BRAF that helps cancer cells to grow. By blocking these proteins, dabrafenib stops or slows down the growth of cancer cells.
You can only have dabrafenib if the cancer has a change in the BRAF gene. Your doctor checks for this gene change before you start treatment.
Find out more about cancer growth blockers
Dabrafenib comes as a capsule that you swallow on an empty stomach. This means that that you either take dabrafenib at least:
1 hour before eating
2 hours after eating
Whether you have a full or empty stomach can affect how much of a drug gets into your bloodstream.
You should take the right dose, not more or less.
Talk to your healthcare team before you stop taking a cancer drug, or if you have missed a dose.
You usually take dabrafenib twice a day, morning and evening, 12 hours apart.
You continue taking dabrafenib for as long as it is working and you are not experiencing too many side effects.
You have blood tests before and during your treatment. They check your levels of and other substances in the blood. They also check how well your liver and kidneys are working.
Before treatment starts you may have a blood test to check for viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. This is called a viral screen.
It’s important for your doctor to know if you have had any of these viruses. This is because this treatment can weaken your and can cause the virus to become active again (reactivation).
You usually have regular scans such as a CT scan and other tests during this treatment.
Your doctor or nurse will explain what tests you need and how often.
Side effects can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatments you're having.
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:
you have severe side effects
your side effects aren’t getting any better
your side effects are getting worse
Early treatment can help manage side effects better.
We haven't listed all the side effects here. Talk to your healthcare team if you have any new symptoms that you think might be a side effect of your treatment.
Remember it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects. But you might have some of them at the same time.
These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (more than 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
You might get a high temperature. Or you might feel cold or start shivering (chills).
You might lose your appetite for various reasons while having cancer treatment. Sickness, taste changes or tiredness can put you off food and drinks.
Tell your healthcare team if you keep getting headaches. They can give you painkillers to help.
It is important to tell your doctor or nurse if you have a cough. This could be due to an infection, such as pneumonia.
Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. It might help to avoid fatty or fried foods, eat small meals and snacks and take regular sips of water. Relaxation techniques might also help.
It is important to take anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if you don’t feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treat it once it has started.
Contact your advice line if you have diarrhoea. For example, in one day you have 2 or more loose bowel movements than usual. If you have a , you might have more output than normal. Your doctor may give you anti diarrhoea medicine to take home with you after treatment.
Try to eat small meals and snacks regularly. It’s best to try to have a healthy balanced diet if you can. You don’t necessarily need to stop eating foods that contain . But if your diet is normally very high in fibre, it might help to cut back on high fibre foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, bran and raw vegetables.
Drink plenty to try and replace the fluid lost. Aim for 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Dabrafenib can cause skin problems such as a rash, non cancerous (benign) growths, thickening of the skin and hand-foot syndrome.
Less commonly dabrafenib can make your skin dry, itchy, more sensitive to the sun, it might go red if you have a light skin tone, on black or brown skin this may look darker than your natural skin tone, purple or grey.
You might develop skin tags, , and areas of skin may be different to the surrounding area (skin lesion). Areas of skin that has had radiation may get worse while on this treatment.
Rarely this treatment can cause a new melanoma skin cancer, inflammation of the layer of fat under your skin and Sweet syndrome. Sweet syndrome symptoms include a high temperature, sore red or purple lumps or patches of skin that can turn into ulcers.
Your doctor will check your skin regularly through treatment.
Your hair may thin or you might lose hair in certain areas (patches). You're unlikely to lose all your hair. It usually grows back when you finish treatment.
Other areas of hair that might be affected include your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarm, leg and sometimes pubic hair.
You might have aches or pain in your arms, legs, muscles or joints. Speak to your doctor or nurse about what painkillers you can take to help with this.
You might feel very tired and as though you lack energy.
Various things can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, for example exercise. Some research has shown that taking gentle exercise can give you more energy. It is important to balance exercise with resting.
These side effects happen in between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people (between 1 and 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
low levels of a type of mineral salt called phosphate in your blood
high blood sugar levels - let your healthcare team know if you have headaches, you feel thirsty and have blurred vision. If you have you may need to check your levels more often
constipation
flu-like symptoms - symptoms include headaches, aching muscles, a high temperature or runny nose
numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes (peripheral neuropathy) - this is often temporary and can improve after you finish treatment
These side effects happen in fewer than 1 in 100 people (less than 1%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
an allergic reaction that can cause a rash, shortness of breath, redness or swelling of the face and dizziness. Some allergic reactions can be life threatening, alert your nurse or doctor if notice any of these symptoms
of the eye – symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, redness in your eye, changes in vision and flashes of light
inflammationof your pancreas – symptoms include severe tummy pain, feeling or being sick, a high temperature and diarrhoea
kidney problems - your blood test results may show your kidneys aren’t working properly. Symptoms of kidney problems include confusion, not peeing enough or not going at all, passing blood when you pee, tiredness, feeling or being sick, feeling puffy, loss of appetite, dry and itchy skin or shortness of breath
We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We do not list these interactions on this page. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.
Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.
It is not known whether this treatment affects in people. Talk to your doctor before starting treatment if you think you may want to have a baby in the future.
This drug may harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant while you are having treatment with this drug and for at least 2 weeks afterwards. Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment.
This treatment may have an effect on how well hormonal contraceptives work. If you’re taking hormonal contraceptives like the pill, injections or patches you should use additional barrier contraceptives such as condoms.
It is not known whether this drug comes through into the breast milk. Doctors usually advise that you don’t breastfeed during this treatment.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
Do not have live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. For some people, it may be longer than this. The length of time you need to avoid live vaccines depends on the treatment you’ve had.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.
In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, chickenpox, BCG, and yellow fever. You can usually have non-live vaccines. But they might not give you as much protection as usual. These include the:
flu vaccine, as an injection
coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have a vaccine in relation to your cancer treatment.
You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. If someone has had a live vaccine by mouth or nasal spray there may be a small risk the vaccine virus can be passed onto you if your is weakened.
Your healthcare team will let you know if you need to take any precautions if you are in close contact with someone who has had a live vaccine.
For further information about this treatment and possible side effects go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website. You can find the patient information leaflet on this website.
You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.
Last reviewed: 02 Oct 2026
Next review due: 02 Oct 2029
Search for the cancer type you want to find out about. Each section has detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, research and coping with cancer.
Cancer growth blockers are also called cancer growth inhibitors. They are a type of targeted cancer drug. They aim to stop cancer cells from growing. There are many different types.
Coping with cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available. Find out about the emotional, physical and practical effects of cancer and how to manage them.
Cancer drugs have side effects and these can vary from person to person. But there are things that you can do to help you cope.
Melanoma develops in cells called melanocytes. You have these in your skin and other parts of your body. Melanoma that starts in the skin is called melanoma skin cancer.
Lung cancer starts in the windpipe (trachea), the main airway (bronchus) or the lung tissue. Cancer that starts in the lung is called primary lung cancer.
