This patient-friendly article is about chemotherapy drug, Dacarbozine which is most commonly used with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and melanoma. A powder is used to make a colourless or slightly yellow liquid delivered intravenously. Dacarbozine was considered the gold standard for melanoma having a response rate of around 20% in terms of shrinkage of all tumours. It has been recently criticised, however, because its effects seem to wear off after six months with melanoma, and a Phase III Trial (Am. Onc. 2006; 17. 563-70) on metastatic melanoma reported no benefit in overall survival rates. It is increasingly used in combination with other drugs (recent clinical trials in the US indicate that Tamoxifen and Genisense can improve response).
Side effects can include: nausea and vomiting, reduced resistance to infection, bruising and bleeding, anaemia and loss of appetite. Hair loss is rare.
Go to: 10 ways to improve your chemotherapy success and reduce side-effects
Other articles that you may find interesting are:
- A diet for Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy overview
- A to Z Guide to Complementary Therapies
Go to: Return to the CANCERactive drug list