R-CHOP
Meaning of R-CHOP: R-CHOP is a five drug chemotherapy and immunotherapy combination that is the standard treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Definition of R-CHOP
R-CHOP is an abbreviation for a combination treatment regimen used mainly to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and it is also used for certain other B-cell lymphomas, including some cases of mantle cell lymphoma. The name reflects its five components, given together on a repeating cycle.
The regimen combines rituximab, an antibody that targets a protein called CD20 found on the surface of certain B cells, with four additional drugs, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, also called hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine sulfate, also called Oncovin, and prednisone, a corticosteroid. Each drug works through a different mechanism, and the combination is generally given intravenously in cycles spaced several weeks apart.
Because R-CHOP combines an antibody targeting a specific marker on lymphoma cells with several traditional chemotherapy drugs, it is considered a standard example of combining targeted and conventional cancer treatment within a single regimen.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient began the R-CHOP regimen following a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Good to know
The letters in R-CHOP correspond to five distinct drugs and drug classes rather than describing a single agent, so the full regimen must be given together on schedule to match how it has been studied.