A chemotherapy regimen is a
regimen
A regimen is a plan, or course of action such as a Diet (nutrition), diet, exercise or medical treatment. A salt#Health effects, low-salt diet is a regimen. A course of penicillin is a regimen, and there are many chemotherapy regimens in the treat ...
for
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
, defining the drugs to be used, their dosage, the frequency and duration of treatments, and other considerations. In modern
oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''à ...
, many regimens combine several
chemotherapy drugs in
combination chemotherapy
The era of cancer chemotherapy began in the 1940s with the first use of nitrogen mustards and folic acid antagonist drugs. The targeted therapy revolution has arrived, but many of the principles and limitations of chemotherapy discovered by t ...
. The majority of drugs used in cancer chemotherapy are
cytostatic
Cytostasis (cyto – cell; stasis – stoppage) is the inhibition of cell growth and multiplication. Cytostatic refers to a cellular component or medicine that inhibits cell division.
Cytostasis is an important prerequisite for structured multic ...
, many via
cytotoxicity.
A fundamental philosophy of
medical oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
, 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 effect
An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a " side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. The term compl ...
s, they can be given together at full doses in chemotherapy regimens.
The first successful combination chemotherapy was
MOPP, introduced in 1963 for
lymphoma
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...
s.
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
Recurring means occurring repeatedly and can refer to several different things:
Mathematics and finance
*Recurring expense, an ongoing (continual) expenditure
*Repeating decimal, or recurring decimal, a real number in the decimal numeral syste ...
or to
prevent an existing cancer from continuing to grow.
Chemotherapy regimens are often identified by
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
s, 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.
BEACOPP chemotherapy regimen
/ref>
There is no widely accepted naming convention or standard for the nomenclature of chemotherapy regimens. For example, either generic
Generic or generics may refer to:
In business
* Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark
* Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...
or brand name
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
s may be used for acronyms. This page merely lists commonly used conventions.
List of chemotherapy regimen acronyms
See also
* National Comprehensive Cancer Network Treatment Guidelines
* Breast cancer chemotherapy
References
External links
Chemotherapy regimens and referencesChemotherapy side effectsChristie Hospital Chemotherapy Patient Information Sheets
{{Chemotherapeutic Agents
Chemotherapy regimens