According to the Mayo Clinic, Hodgkin's lymphoma, also known as Hodgkin's disease, is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's immune system. The lymph nodes, the spleen, the bone marrow, and the thymus gland are all part of the lymphatic system. Doctors do not know the cause of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although lymph nodes are in many locations in the body, the disease usually begins in the lymph nodes located above the diaphragm, such as those of the neck or under the arms.
ABVD Chemotherapy
One chemotherapy regimen that doctors use for Hodgkin's lymphoma is the ABVD treatment, according to Macmillan Cancer Support. The four drugs involved in this therapy are Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine. Adriamycin is also known generically as doxorubicin. The patient will receive antinausea medication before the start of treatment. Each of the four chemotherapy drugs is then given separately as an infusion with salt water through a vein in the patient's hand, arm, or near the collarbone. The process usually lasts for about two hours, and the patient can return home at the completion of the treatment. At this point there is a 14-day break from treatment, and on day 15 the patient receives a second treatment followed by another 14-day break. The two treatments over four weeks constitute one cycle of the ABVD chemotherapy. Patients usually get two to eight cycles over the course of two to eight months.
BEACOPP Chemotherapy
According to the CancerHelp UK website, BEACOPP is a type of chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma. The seven drugs included in this regimen are bleomycin, etoposide, Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, Oncovin, procarbazine and prednisone. Oncovin is also known by the generic name vincristine. A cycle of this regimen lasts three weeks, and patients may get up to eight cycles so that treatment occurs over six months. This type of chemotherapy is a combination of oral and intravenous medications. Procarbazine and prednisone are administered orally, and the other drugs are given through a vein in the patient's arm or chest. On the first day of treatment, patients get cyclophosphamide and Adriamycin intravenously and they start taking procarbazine tablets for one week and prednisone tablets for two weeks. Etoposide is administered intravenously over the next two days, and Oncovin and bleomycin are given one week after the start of the cycle. When the patient stops taking prednisone, there is a one-week break from treatment and then a new cycle starts. Common side effects of this regimen are increased chance of infection, fatigue and breathlessness, bruising and bleeding, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, sensitivity to sunlight, brittle and chipped nails, and blurred vision.
MOPP Chemotherapy
According to the Healthcommunities.com website, the MOPP chemotherapy regimen is the oldest and one of the most frequently used treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma. The drugs employed in this therapy are mechlorethamine, Oncovin, procarbazine, and prednisone, and about 50 percent of patients who undergo this therapy are cured. On days one and eight of treatment, The patient receives mechlorethamine and Oncovin intravenously, and the patient takes procarbazine and prednisone orally on days one through 14. Leukemia is a long-term side effect for about 7 percent of patients who have this therapy. Other side effects of this regimen may include decreased bone marrow function, kidney and liver problems, pain and inflammation at the injection side, hair loss, nervous system and blood presssure effects, and low counts of white and red blood cells and platelets.
