PROCARBAZINE

Alkylating agent anticancer

Dosage Forms

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Capsule

50 mg

Uses

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  • Hodgkin’s disease

Dose and Duration

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Hodgkin’s disease (monotherapy)

Adult and child: Initially, 50 mg by mouth, increased daily by 50 mg up to a maximum daily dose of 250−300 mg. After the greatest remission, reduce to maintenance dose of 50−150 mg daily

Hodgkin’s disease (in combination regimen)

Adult: 100 mg/m² daily on the 10−14 days of a 4−6 week cycle

Contraindications

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  • Pre-existing leucopoenia or thrombocytopenia
  • Severe hepatic damage
  • Severe renal damage

Side Effects

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  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Myelosuppression
  • Infections
  • Allergic reactions
  • Reduced fertility; infertility
  • Liver damage

Interactions

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  • Live vaccines (risk of developing disease)
  • Clozapine (risk of agranulocytosis)
  • Alcohol (disulfiram-like reaction)

Pregnancy

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  • Do not use

Breast-feeding

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  • Discontinue breastfeeding

⚠️ Caution

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  • Monitor full blood count during treatment. If total white cell count falls to 3000/mm³ or platelet count to 80,000/mm³, suspend treatment until the levels recover
  • Anticancer medicines should only be handled by health workers trained and experienced in cytotoxic medicines