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What Is CHOP Chemo?

CHOP chemotherapy is a powerful combination of drugs used to treat aggressive forms of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. CHOP has provided many patients with long periods of remission, particularly when used in concert with other drugs, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

  1. Makeup

    • Lymphomainfo.net identifies the four drugs in this chemotherapy cocktail as cyclophosphamide; hydroxydaunomycin (also known as doxorubicin); oncovin (also known as vincristine); and prednisone.

    How It Works

    • This combination of drugs has been shown to be effective in slowing or halting the spread of cancer by interfering with the ability of cancerous cells to reproduce, says the ACS.

    Use with Other Drugs

    • CHOP, in use for many years, is sometimes administered together with other drugs---such as rituximab, yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan, etoposide and bleomycin---to enhance its effects.

    How It Is Administered

    • The first three drugs in the CHOP regimen are administered intravenously, once every three weeks, for a total of six to eight treatments, according to utdol.com. Prednisone is taken orally for the first five days of each treatment period.

    Side Effects

    • Common short-term side effects, according to the LymphomaInfo.net, include fatigue; nausea and/or vomiting; loss of appetite; hair loss; and lowered red and white blood cell counts. A long-term effect observed in some patients is permanent sterility.

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