Chemotherapy regimen

A chemotherapy regimen is a

.

A fundamental philosophy of medical oncology, including combination chemotherapy, is that different drugs work through different mechanisms, and that the results of using multiple drugs will be synergistic to some extent. Because they have different dose-limiting adverse effects, they can be given together at full doses in chemotherapy regimens.^[1]

The first successful combination chemotherapy was

.

The term "induction regimen" refers to a chemotherapy regimen used for the initial treatment of a disease. A "maintenance regimen" refers to the ongoing use of chemotherapy to reduce the chances of a cancer recurring or to prevent an existing cancer from continuing to grow.^[2]

Nomenclature

Chemotherapy regimens are often identified by acronyms, identifying the agents used in the drug combination. However, the letters used are not consistent across regimens, and in some cases - for example, "BEACOPP" - the same letter combination is used to represent two different treatments.^[3]

There is no widely accepted naming convention or standard for the nomenclature of chemotherapy regimens. For example, either

may be used for acronyms. This page merely lists commonly used conventions.

List of chemotherapy regimen acronyms

Name	Components	Example of uses, and other notes
IAC in case of idarubicin use	7 days of Ara-C ( IAC variant)	Acute myelogenous leukemia, excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia
ABVD	doxorubicin (Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine	Hodgkin's lymphoma
AC	doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide	breast cancer
BACOD	bleomycin, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, vincristine (Oncovin), dexamethasone	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
BEACOPP	bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, vincristine (Oncovin), procarbazine, prednisone	Hodgkin's lymphoma
BEP	bleomycin, etoposide, platinum agent	testicular cancer, germ cell tumors
CA	cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin) (same as AC)	breast cancer
CAF	cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), fluorouracil (5-FU)	breast cancer
CAPOX or XELOX	capecitabine and oxaliplatin	colorectal cancer
CAV	cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), vincristine	lung cancer
CBV	BCNU (carmustine), VP-16 (etoposide )	lymphoma
CHOEP	Oncovin), prednisone	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
CEPP	cyclophosphamide, etoposide, procarbazine, prednisone	Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
ChlVPP/EVA	chlorambucil, vincristine (Oncovin), procarbazine, prednisone, etoposide, vinblastine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin)	Hodgkin's lymphoma
CHOP	Oncovin), prednisone	non-Hodgkin lymphoma
R-CHOP	CHOP + rituximab	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
ClaPD	clarithromycin, pomalidomide, dexamethasone	multiple myeloma
CMF	cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil (5-FU)	breast cancer
CMV	cisplatin, methotrexate, vinblastine	transitional bladder carcinoma
COP or CVP	cyclophosphamide, Oncovin (vincristine), prednisone	non-Hodgkin lymphoma in patients with history of cardiovascular disease
COPP	cyclophosphamide, Oncovin (vincristine), procarbazine, prednisone	Hodgkin's lymphoma
CT or TC	docetaxel (Taxotere), cyclophosphamide	breast cancer
CTD	cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, dexamethasone	AL amyloidosis
CVAD and Hyper-CVAD	cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dexamethasone	aggressive lymphoblastic lymphoma, some forms of leukemia
CVE	carboplatin, vincristine, etoposide	retinoblastoma
CYBORD	cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, dexamethasone	multiple myeloma, AL amyloidosis
DAC	daunorubicin x 3 days plus ara-C (cytarabine) x 7 days, a variant of 7+3 regimen	Acute myeloid leukemia, excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia
DAT	daunorubicin, cytarabine (ara-C), tioguanine	Acute myeloid leukemia
DCEP	dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, platinum agent	relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
DHAP	dexamethasone (a steroid hormone), cytarabine (ara-C), platinum agent	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
R-DHAP	dexamethasone (a steroid hormone), cytarabine (ara-C), platinum agent plus rituximab	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
DICE	dexamethasone, ifosfamide, cisplatin, etoposide (VP-16)	aggressive relapsed lymphomas, progressive neuroblastoma
DT-PACE	dexamethasone, thalidomide, platinum agent, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, etoposide	multiple myeloma
EC	epirubicin, cyclophosphamide	breast cancer
ECF (MAGIC)	epirubicin, cisplatin, fluorouracil (5-FU)	esophagogastric junction (Siewert classification III)
EOX	epirubicin, oxaliplatin, capecitabine	esophageal Cancer, gastric Cancer
EP	etoposide, platinum agent	testicular cancer, germ cell tumors
EPOCH	hydroxydaunorubicin	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
R-EPOCH	hydroxydaunorubicin plus rituximab	B cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
ESHAP	etoposide, methylprednisolone (a steroid hormone), cytarabine (ara-C), platinum agent	Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
R-ESHAP	etoposide, methylprednisolone (a steroid hormone), cytarabine (ara-C), platinum agent plus rituximab	Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FAM	mitomycin	gastric cancer
FAMTX	fluorouracil, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), methotrexate	gastric cancer
FMC	fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FMC-R	fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone plus rituximab	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FCR	fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, rituximab	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FM	fludarabine, mitoxantrone	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FMR	fludarabine, mitoxantrone, and rituximab	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
FEC	fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin, cyclophosphamide	breast cancer
FEC-T	fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin, cyclophosphamide together, followed by docetaxel (Taxotere)	breast cancer
FL (also known as Mayo)	fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (folinic acid)	colorectal cancer
FLAG	G-CSF	acute myelogenous leukemia
Ida-FLAG	G-CSF	acute myelogenous leukemia
MITO-FLAG or FLANG[citation needed ]	G-CSF	acute myelogenous leukemia
FLAMSA	fludarabine, cytarabine, amsacrine	myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia
FLAMSA-Bu	fludarabine, cytarabine, amsacrine, busulfan	myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia
FLAMSA-Mel	fludarabine, cytarabine, amsacrine, melphalan	myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia
FLOT	fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (folinic acid), oxaliplatin, docetaxel	gastric cancer
FOLFIRI	fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (folinic acid), irinotecan	colorectal cancer
FOLFIRINOX	fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (folinic acid), irinotecan, oxaliplatin	pancreatic cancer
FOLFOX	fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (folinic acid), oxaliplatin	colorectal cancer
GC	gemcitabine, cisplatin gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin
GDP	gemcitabine, dexamethasone, cisplatin	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas and Hodgkin lymphoma
GEMOX	gemcitabine, oxaliplatin	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
GVD	gemcitabine, vinorelbine, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin	Hodgkin lymphoma
R-GEMOX	gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, rituximab	Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
IAC	idarubicin x 3 days plus Ara-C (cytarabine) x 7 days, a variant of classical 7+3 regimen	Acute myelogenous leukemia, excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia
ICE	ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide (VP-16)	aggressive lymphomas, progressive neuroblastoma
RICE	ICE + rituximab	high-risk progressive or recurrent lymphomas
IFL	irinotecan, leucovorin (folinic acid), fluorouracil	colorectal cancer
IVA	actinomycin D	rhabdomyosarcoma
MAP or MAPIE	Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Cisplatin, Methotrexate, Ifosfamide (Ifex), Etoposide (Vepesid)	Bone cancer, Osteosarcoma
m-BACOD	methotrexate, bleomycin, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, vincristine (Oncovin), dexamethasone	non-Hodgkin lymphoma
MACOP-B	methotrexate, leucovorin (folinic acid), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, vincristine (Oncovin), prednisone, bleomycin	non-Hodgkin lymphoma
MAID	mesna, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, dacarbazine	soft-tissue sarcoma
MINE	novantrone, etoposide	refractory cases
R-MINE	novantrone, etoposide plus rituximab	refractory cases
MMM	mitomycin, methotrexate, mitoxantrone	breast cancer
MOPP	mechlorethamine, vincristine (Oncovin), procarbazine, prednisone	Hodgkin's lymphoma
MVAC	Adriamycin), cisplatin	advanced bladder cancer[4]
MVP	mitomycin, vindesine, cisplatin	lung cancer and mesothelioma
NP	cisplatin, vinorelbine	non-small cell lung carcinoma
PACE	platinum agent, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, etoposide
PCV	Procarbazine, CCNU (lomustine), vincristine	brain tumors
PEB	cisplatin, etoposide, bleomycin	non-seminomatous germ cell tumors
PEI	cisplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide	small-cell lung carcinoma
platin + taxane[5]	cisplatin/carboplatin, paclitaxel/docetaxel	ovarian cancer
POMP	6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol), vincristine (Oncovin), methotrexate, and prednisone	acute adult leukemia[6]
ProMACE-MOPP	MOPP	non-Hodgkin lymphoma
ProMACE-CytaBOM	leucovorin	non-Hodgkin lymphoma
RdC	lenalidomide (Revlimid), dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide	AL amyloidosis
R-Benda	rituximab + bendamustine	follicular lymphoma and MALT lymphoma[7]
DHAP-R	rituximab + DHAP; that is, rituximab, dexamethasone (a steroid hormone), cytarabine (ara-C), platinum agent	relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma
FCM-R	rituximab + FCM; that is, rituximab, fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone	B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
RICE	ICE; that is, rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide	high-risk progressive or recurrent lymphomas
RVD	lenalidomide (Revlimid), bortezomib, dexamethasone
Stanford V	mechlorethamine, bleomycin, vinblastine, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone	Hodgkin lymphoma
TAC or ACT	docetaxel (Taxotere) or paclitaxel (Taxol), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide	adrenaline-cocaine , used as local anesthetic)
TAD	tioguanine, cytarabine (ara-C), daunorubicin	acute myeloid leukemia
TC or CT	docetaxel (Taxotere), cyclophosphamide	breast cancer
TCH	docetaxel (Taxotere), carboplatin, trastuzumab (Herceptin)	HER2/neu receptor
TCHP	docetaxel (Taxotere), carboplatin, trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab (Perjeta)	HER2/neu receptor
Thal/Dex	thalidomide, dexamethasone	multiple myeloma
TIP	paclitaxel (Taxol), ifosfamide, platinum agent cisplatin (Platinol)	testicular cancer, germ cell tumors in salvage therapy
EE-4A	actinomycin[8]	Wilms' tumor[8]
DD-4A	actinomycin, doxorubicin (Adriamycin)[8]	Wilms' tumor[8]
VABCD	vinblastine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), bleomycin, lomustine (CeeNU), dacarbazine	Hodgkin's Lymphoma
VAC	actinomycin, cyclophosphamide	rhabdomyosarcoma
VAD	vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dexamethasone	multiple myeloma
VAMP	one of 3 combinations of vincristine and others	Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma
Regimen I	vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), etoposide, cyclophosphamide	Wilms' tumor[8]
VAPEC-B	vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), prednisone, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, bleomycin	Hodgkin's lymphoma
VD-PACE	bortezomib, dexamethasone plus platinum agent, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, etoposide	multiple myeloma
VIFUP	vinorelbine, cisplatin, fluorouracil	locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer
VIP	vinblastine, ifosfamide, platinum agent, (etoposide (VP-16) may substitute for vinblastine, making a regimen sometimes referred to as VIP-16)[9][10]	testicular cancer, germ cell tumors
VTD-PACE	bortezomib (Velcade), thalidomide, dexamethasone plus platinum agent, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, etoposide	multiple myeloma
V-DCEP	bortezomib (Velcade), dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, platinum agent	relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

See also

• National Comprehensive Cancer Network Treatment Guidelines
• Breast cancer chemotherapy

References

External links

• Chemotherapy regimens and references
• Chemotherapy side effects Archived 2012-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
• Christie Hospital Chemotherapy Patient Information Sheets