carmustine + etoposide + cytarabine + cyclophosphamide

This is a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of four cytotoxic agents—carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine (also known as Ara-C), and cyclophosphamide. It is used primarily as a high-dose conditioning regimen prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies such as Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma[1][4][6]. Each component has a distinct mechanism of action: - Carmustine is an alkylating agent that causes DNA cross-linking and strand breaks. - Etoposide inhibits topoisomerase II, leading to DNA damage. - Cytarabine is an antimetabolite that inhibits DNA synthesis by acting as a pyrimidine analog. - Cyclophosphamide is also an alkylating agent causing cross-linking of DNA strands. The combination aims to maximize tumor cell kill through multiple mechanisms while preparing the bone marrow for transplantation. Toxicities include myelosuppression, pulmonary toxicity (notably from carmustine), alopecia, cognitive changes ("chemo brain"), and risk of secondary malignancies[3][6].

Other names

BACEBEAC