Cancer drugs A to Z list
Brentuximab is a . You pronounce it as bren-tuk-sih-mab veh-doh-tin.
It is a treatment for:
Hodgkin lymphoma
a type of non Hodgkin lymphoma called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)
cutaneous T cell lymphoma
Find out more about Hodgkin lymphoma and non Hodgkin lymphoma
Read about cutaneous T cell lymphoma
Brentuximab is a monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) are copies of a single antibody. They are made in the laboratory. Monoclonal antibodies seek out cancer cells by targeting particular proteins on the cell surface.
Brentuximab targets a protein called CD30 that is found on Hodgkin lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells. Brentuximab sticks to the CD30 protein and delivers a drug to the cell. The drug then kills the cell.
Read about monoclonal antibodies
You have brentuximab as a drip into your bloodstream (intravenously).
You might have treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment. This can be a:
central line
PICC line
portacath
You might have treatment through a thin short tube (a cannula) that goes into a vein in your arm. You have a new cannula each time you have treatment.
When you are having this treatment through a cannula it could damage the tissue if it leaks out of the vein. This is called extravasation. This can happen anywhere along the vein that the drug is going into. It doesn’t happen very often. Tell your nurse straight away if you notice any changes such as swelling, redness, pain, burning, or a stinging feeling.
Your nurse will stop the drug treatment. And they will treat the area to relieve symptoms and reduce tissue damage. Contact your healthcare team if you develop any of these symptoms when you are at home.
You have brentuximab as a drip (infusion) over 30 minutes. You have it in cycles of treatment. This means that you have the drug and then a rest to allow your body to recover.
Each cycle of treatment is 3 weeks. You can have up to 16 cycles of treatment.
You might have brentuximab on its own or in combination with other cancer drugs.
You have blood tests before and during your treatment. They check your levels of and other substances in the blood. They also check how well your liver and kidneys are working.
Before treatment starts you may have a blood test to check for viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. This is called a viral screen.
It’s important for your doctor to know if you have had any of these viruses. This is because this treatment can weaken your and can cause the virus to become active again (reactivation).
Side effects can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatment you are having.
Your doctor, pharmacist or nurse will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you closely during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:
you have severe side effects
your side effects aren’t getting any better
your side effects are getting worse
Early treatment can help manage side effects better.
We haven't listed all the side effects here. Talk to your healthcare team if you have any new symptoms that you think might be a side effect of your treatment.
Remember it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects, but you might have some of them at the same time.
These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (more than 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in . Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, cough, headaches, feeling cold and shivery, pain or a burning feeling when peeing or generally feeling unwell. You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.
Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection.
You might feel some pain from your muscles and joints or your joints might swell.
Less commonly you might have back pain.
Speak to your doctor or nurse about what painkillers you can take to help with this.
You might not feel like eating and may lose weight. Eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day can be easier to manage. You can talk to a dietitian if you are concerned about your appetite or weight loss.
You may have difficulty breathing with wheezing and coughing. Let your healthcare team know straight away if this happens.
Contact your advice line if you have diarrhoea. For example, in one day you have 2 or more loose bowel movements than usual. If you have a , you might have more output than normal. Your doctor may give you anti diarrhoea medicine to take home with you after treatment.
Try to eat small meals and snacks regularly. It’s best to try to have a healthy balanced diet if you can. You don’t necessarily need to stop eating foods that contain . But if your diet is normally very high in fibre, it might help to cut back on high fibre foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, bran and raw vegetables.
Drink plenty to try and replace the fluid lost. Aim for 8 to 10 glasses per day.
is easier to sort out if you treat it early. Drink plenty and eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can. Try to take gentle exercise, such as walking. Tell your healthcare team if you think you are constipated. They can give you a if needed.
Tiredness and weakness (fatigue) can happen during and after treatment. Doing gentle exercises each day can keep your energy up. Don't push yourself, rest when you start to feel tired and ask others for help.
Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. It might help to avoid fatty or fried foods, eat small meals and snacks and take regular sips of water. Relaxation techniques might also help.
It is important to take anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if you don’t feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treat it once it has started.
Tell your healthcare team straight away if you get a high temperature. Ask them if you can take paracetamol to help lower your temperature.
Skin problems include a skin rash, dry skin and itching. This usually goes back to normal when your treatment finishes. Your healthcare team can tell you what products you can use on your skin to help.
Numbness or tingling in fingers or toes is often temporary and can improve after you finish treatment. Tell your healthcare team if you're finding it difficult to walk or complete fiddly tasks such as doing up buttons.
Contact your advice line if you have this. Depending on what is causing the pain, they might give you medicine to help.
You might have a rash, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, a cough, a tight chest, fever, back pain, chills, headache, feeling sick or being sick.
These can happen within a few minutes or up to several hours after having brentuximab. This can be life threatening. Contact the advice line or your healthcare team if you have any of these symptoms.
You might have some medication before having brentuximab to stop an infusion reaction happening.
These side effects happen in between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people (between 1 and 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
sore, red or white patches in the mouth (thrush)
breathlessness and looking pale due to a drop in
bruising, bleeding gums or nosebleeds due to a drop in
liver changes
hair thinning or hair loss
high blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia)
dizziness
chills
reactivation of herpes virus if you have had it in the past
These side effects happen in fewer than 1 in 100 people (less than 1%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
a severe skin reaction that may start as tender patches. Depending on your skin tone this may look red, brown, grey, blue, purple or darker than your normal skin. This can lead to peeling or blistering of the skin. You might also feel feverish and your eyes may be more sensitive to light. This is serious and could be life threatening
sepsis is a serious reaction to an infection - signs can include feeling very unwell, not passing urine, a very high or very low temperature, shivering, slurred speech or confusion, breathlessness, mottled or discoloured skin, extreme shivering or muscle pain. Call 999 or go to accident and emergency (A&E) immediately if you have any of these symptoms
an allergic reaction that can cause a rash, shortness of breath, redness or swelling of the face and dizziness - some allergic reactions can be life threatening. Alert your nurse if you notice any of these symptoms
high uric acid levels
inflammation of the
changes to the levels of chemicals in your blood due to the breakdown of tumour cells (tumour lysis syndrome). You have regular blood tests to check for this
weakness and reduced sensation in the arms and legs that continues to get worse
pain or swelling around the drip site - tell your nurse straight away if you have any pain, redness, swelling or leaking around your drip site
There isn't enough information to work out how often these side effects might happen. You might have one or more of them. They include:
a very rare infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). It affects the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include changes in behaviour and personality, clumsiness, feeling weak, difficulty moving, eyesight changes and memory problems
a serious reaction causing a rash on your body, with a high temperature and swollen lymph nodes – tell your healthcare team straight away if you notice this
We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We do not list these interactions on this page. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.
Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.
After having this treatment you should only have blood or platelets that are first treated with radiation (irradiated). The radiation lowers the risk of a reaction between your blood cells and the cells in the transfusion. No harm comes from the irradiated blood.
In your medical records there is a note saying you should only have irradiated blood. You have a card to carry with this information. This is in case you need treatment at another hospital.
This treatment may harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or get someone pregnant while you're having treatment and for at least 6 months afterwards.
It is important to be using 2 types of contraception whilst taking this treatment. Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment. Let them know straight away if you or your partner become pregnant while having treatment.
You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant after treatment with this drug. Talk to your doctor before starting treatment if you think you may want to have a baby in the future.
Men might be able to store sperm before starting treatment. And women might be able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. But these services are not available in every hospital, so you would need to ask your doctor about this.
It is not known whether this drug comes through into the breast milk. Doctors usually advise that you don’t breastfeed during this treatment.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
Do not have live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. For some people, it may be longer than this. The length of time you need to avoid live vaccines depends on the treatment you’ve had.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.
In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, chickenpox, BCG, and yellow fever. You can usually have non-live vaccines. But they might not give you as much protection as usual. These include the:
flu vaccine, as an injection
coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have a vaccine in relation to your cancer treatment.
You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. If someone has had a live vaccine by mouth or nasal spray there may be a small risk the vaccine virus can be passed onto you if your is weakened.
Your healthcare team will let you know if you need to take any precautions if you are in close contact with someone who has had a live vaccine.
For further information about this treatment and possible side effects go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website. You can find the patient information leaflet on this website.
You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.
Last reviewed: 09 Sept 2026
Next review due: 09 Sept 2029
Targeted cancer drugs work by ‘targeting’ the differences that help a cancer cell to survive and grow. There are many different types of targeted drugs.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes. Find out more about the tests, treatments and support available if you have Hodgkin lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a cancer of the lymphatic system. There are more than 60 different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They can behave in very different ways and need different treatments.
Skin lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Cutaneous T cell lymphoma starts in the T cells of the skin.
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