BEACOPP

BEACOPP is the name of a combination of cancer drugs that includes: 

• B – Bleomycin
• E – Etoposide
• A – Doxorubicin (also called Adriamycin)
• C – Cyclophosphamide
• O – Vincristine (also called Oncovin)
• P – Procarbazine
• P – Prednisolone (a steroid)

It is a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

How does AC work?

These chemotherapy drugs destroy quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.

How you have BEACOPP

You have some chemotherapy drugs from BEACOPP into your bloodstream (intravenously). These include bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and vincristine.

You take procarbazine and prednisolone as capsules or tablets. 

Into your bloodstream

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

If you don't have a central line

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.

Taking your tablets or capsules

Whether you have a full or empty stomach can affect how much of a drug gets into your bloodstream.

You should take the right dose, not more or less.

Talk to your healthcare team before you stop taking or miss a dose of a cancer drug.

When you have BEACOPP

You have BEACOPP chemotherapy as cycles of treatment. You might have BEACOPP over 2 weeks (14 days) or 3 weeks (21 days - this is also called escalated BEACOPP). You might have between 2 to 8 cycles. This is about 6 months in total for all 8 cycles.

Tests

You have blood tests before and during your treatment. They check your levels of blood cells and other substances in the blood. They also check how well your liver and kidneys are working.

Side effects

How often and how severe the side effects are can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatments you're having. 

When to contact your team

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you 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. 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.

Common side effects

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 infection

Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and generally 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. 

Breathlessness and looking pale

You might be breathless and look pale due to a drop in red blood cells. This is called anaemia.

Bruising, bleeding gums or nose bleeds

This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs (known as petechiae).

Lung problems

You might develop a cough or breathing problems. This could be due to scarring (fibrosis) or infection, such as pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs. Let your doctor or nurse know straight away if you suddenly become short of breath or develop a cough. This can be life-threatening.

Loss of appetite and weight loss

You might not feel like eating and may lose weight. It is important to eat as much as you can. 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. 

Feeling or being sick 

Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. Avoiding fatty or fried foods, eating small meals and snacks, drinking plenty of water, and relaxation techniques can all 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 treating it once it has started.

High temperature and chills

You might get a high temperature. Or you might feel cold or start shivering (chills). 

Sore mouth

Mouth sores and ulcers can be painful. It helps to keep your mouth and teeth clean, drink plenty of fluids and avoid acidic foods such as lemons. Chewing gum can help to keep the mouth moist. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have ulcers.

Hair loss

You could lose all your hair. This includes your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarms, legs and sometimes pubic hair. Your hair will usually grow back once treatment has finished but it is likely to be softer. It may grow back a different colour or be curlier than before. 

Tiredness and weakness

You might feel very tired and as though you lack energy.

Various things can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, for example exercise. Some research has shown that taking gentle exercise can give you more energy. It is important to balance exercise with resting.

Feeling generally unwell

Speak to your doctor or nurse if you feel generally unwell after having this treatment.

Diarrhoea or constipation

Tell your healthcare team if you have diarrhoea or constipation. They can give you medicine to help. 

Heart problems

You may have changes to how your heart works. This can cause changes to your heart rhythm. Less commonly you might have a heart attack.

Your doctor might ask you to have tests to check your heart, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) .

Liver changes

You might have liver changes that are usually mild and unlikely to cause symptoms. They usually go back to normal when treatment finishes. You have regular blood tests to check for any changes in the way your liver is working.

Inflammation of the bladder

Inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) can cause pain and occasionally blood when passing urine. 

Tummy (abdominal) pain

Tell your doctor or nurse if you have this. They can check for the cause of the pain and give you medicine to help. 

Changes to your finger tips

The tips of your finger might get tender, red, harden or swell. Let your doctor or nurse know if this gets sore.

Nail changes

Your nails might develop ridges or change colour. This gradually improves after treatment as your nails grow. Rarely your nails might detach from the skin. Let your doctor or nurse know if you think this is happening.

Skin changes

You might notice skin changes, such as a rash, itching, reddening, blistering, dryness, cracking, hardening or thickening of the skin. Areas of skin might change colour and you might also develop stretch marks.

Occasional side effects

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:

• an allergic reaction that can cause a rash, shortness of breath, cough, redness or swelling of the face
• a serious reaction to an infection (sepsis) signs can include feeling very unwell, not passing urine, being sick, a very high or very low temperature or shivering - contact your advice line straight away if you have any of these symptoms
• blood clots what are life threatening; signs of pain, swelling and redness where the clot is. Feeling breathless can be a sign of a blood clot on the lung. Contact your advice line or doctor straight away if you have any of these symptoms
• headache
• a second cancer called acute leukaemia
• dizziness
• high blood pressure – symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, feeling weak and tired
• inflammation around the drip site (extravasation) – signs include redness, swelling, leaking at your drip site. Rarely the tissue in the area might go hard
• changes to your mood which can make you feel sad or depressed
• difficulty thinking properly, easily confused and forgetful
• having trouble sleeping
• feeling anxious
• hearing, feeling or seeing things

Rare side effects

These side effects happen in fewer than 1 in 100 people (fewer than 1%). You might have one or more of them. They include:

• tumour pain or pain in the area around the tumour
• low blood pressure - you might feel sick, dizzy, lightheaded or even faint
• pain in different parts of your body such as the muscles, bones and joints
• problems passing urine - this might include not passing enough, going too often, wanting to go but you can’t or it being too difficult and painful
• narrowing, thickening and hardening of the blood vessel walls
• numbness, tingling or pins and needles in the fingers or toes
• eye problems such as conjunctivitis – signs include inflammation, sore, sticky, watery, itchy or gritty eyes
• passing blood from your bottom or in your stools (poo)
• dry, flaky, red and sore skin in areas where you have had radiotherapy in the past
• lack of fluid in the body (dehydration)
• your nerves might be more sensitive which could cause pain, that might feel like burning, stinging or intense stabbing pain anywhere in the body
• loss of hearing
• flushing of the skin

Other side effects

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:

• seizures (fits)
• periods stopping
• taste changes
• eyesight problems such as unusual eye movements or your eyesight getting worse
• high 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

If you have side effects that aren’t listed on this page, you can look at the individual drug pages:

• Bleomycin
• Etoposide
• Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
• Cyclophosphamide
• Vincristine (Oncovin)
• Procarbazine 
• Prednisolone

Coping with side effects

We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.

What else do I need to know?

Other medicines, foods and drink

Cancer drugs can interact with some other medicines and herbal products. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies.

Loss of fertility

You may not be able to become pregnant or father a child after treatment with these drugs. 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.    

Pregnancy and contraception

This treatment may harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or father a child while you are having treatment with this drug and for at least a year afterwards.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment. Let them know straight away if you or your partner falls pregnant while having treatment.

Breastfeeding

Don’t breastfeed during this treatment. This is because the drugs may come through in your breast milk.

Treatment for other conditions

Always tell other doctors, nurses, pharmacists or dentists that you’re having this treatment. For example, if you need treatment for anything else, including teeth problems.

Immunisations

Don’t have immunisations with live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. The length of time depends on the treatment you are having. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.

In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, yellow fever and one of the shingles vaccines called Zostavax.

You can have:

• other vaccines, but they might not give you as much protection as usual
• the flu vaccine (as an injection)
• the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine - talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have it in relation to your cancer treatment

Members of your household who are aged 5 years or over are also able to have the COVID-19 vaccine. This is to help lower your risk of getting COVID-19 while having cancer treatment and until your immune system recovers from treatment.

Contact with others who have had immunisations - You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. Avoid close contact with people who have recently had live vaccines taken by mouth (oral vaccines) such as the oral typhoid vaccine. Sometimes people who have had the live shingles vaccine can get a shingles type rash. If this happens they should keep the area covered.

If your immune system is severely weakened, you should avoid contact with children who have had the flu vaccine as a nasal spray as this is a live vaccine. This is for 2 weeks following their vaccination.

Babies have the live rotavirus vaccine. The virus is in the baby’s poo for about 2 weeks and could make you ill if your immunity is low. Get someone else to change their nappies during this time if you can. If this isn't possible, wash your hands well after changing their nappy.

More information about this treatment

For further information about this treatment go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website.

You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.