BEACOPP is a chemotherapy regimen that is commonly used in the treatment of advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Basically, BEACOPP chemotherapy prevents the cancer cells from dividing, growing and metastasizing to other parts. BEACOPP is an acronym for seven chemotherapy drugs that forms the treatment. B in BEACOPP chemotherapy stands for Bleomycin or Blenoxane, E for etoposide or vepesid, D for doxorubicin, the brand name for which is adriamycin, C for cyclophosphamide, O for oncovin or vincristine, P for procarbazine or Matulane and the past P stands for prednisone. BEACOPP is a group of the mentioned chemotherapy drugs that are administered in a combination to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After knowing the names of the combination of chemotherapy drugs used in BEACOPP chemotherapy treatment, let’s take a look at how the treatment is given.

Administration of BEACOPP Chemotherapy

As in case of many other chemotherapy treatments, BEACOPP chemotherapy is also usually given intravenously i.e. injecting the drugs into the vein. However, procarbazine and prednisone are taken orally. The dosage of each of the chemotherapy drugs would be given based on many factors that include the body weight, the general health of the patient etc. This is done before giving the full dose as some may have a negative reaction to this drug. To treat an advanced stage disease, generally six to eight cycles of BEACOPP chemotherapy is carried out on the patient and each of the cycle is repeated in every 21 days.

In case of BEACOPP chemotherapy, before starting with the chemotherapy treatment not just anti-sickness drugs are given and blood tests and other tests are taken to prevent certain possible side effects, but a test is taken with a small dose of bleomycin. Besides blood tests to check for the liver and kidney function and to get the blood counts, other tests such as echocardiogram is also carried out to check the functioning of heart. Doxorubicin which is a part of BEACOPP chemotherapy may cause ill-effects to the heart and a test helps in comparing the functioning of the heart before and after the treatment.

Things to be Aware of before undergoing BEACOPP Chemotherapy:

• Inform the doctor about any medication or over-the-counter medicines that you usually take. Also inform about the vitamins, dietary supplements, herbal and homeopathic medicines and remedies that you follow.
• Do inform the doctor of pregnancy as chemotherapy drugs could harm the fetus
• Take effective birth control measures during the chemotherapy treatment
• Although it is not ascertained that chemotherapy drugs passes into the breast milk, as a measure avoid breast feeding during the chemotherapy treatment
• Do not get any vaccinations during chemotherapy treatment without consulting the doctor

One also needs to be aware of the side effects that could crop up during the chemotherapy treatment. Now these side effects may not necessarily be of the whole treatment as many of the side effects noticed during BEACOPP chemotherapy treatment pertain to the individual drugs used in the treatment. In the next section we discuss about the side effects of drugs used in BEACOPP chemotherapy treatment.

Side Effects of BEACOPP Chemotherapy Drugs

As in case of any other chemotherapy treatment, BEACOPP chemotherapy also may cause certain side effects. Some of the common side effects noticed are as follows:

• Anemia - Anemia is caused due to low red blood cell count. The patient experiences breathlessness, fatigue or weakness when suffering from anemia. The skin appears pale.
• Low White Blood Cell Count - Insufficient white blood cells in the blood increases the risk of infections. This because a low count of white blood cells weakens the immune system and does not fight back the infection as opposing to the normal function of the immune system. This may cause frequent hits of fever, chills, nasal congestions, sore throat etc.
• Nausea / Vomiting - It is common to give anti-sickness drugs before undertaking any chemotherapy treatment. However, the patient may feel nauseous even after the treatment.
• Hair Loss - Falling off of hair may be more than normal during chemotherapy.
• Digestive Problems - The digestion process may be hampered during chemotherapy. It may cause diarrhea, constipation and abdominal cramps may also be experienced by certain patients.

Some of the less common side effects of BEACOPP chemotherapy include neuropathy or numbness in hands and feet, loss of appetite etc.