ESA regimen

The ESA regimen is a combination chemotherapy protocol developed by Ruijin Hospital for the treatment of localized nasal extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). The acronym ESA stands for its three constituent drugs: **E**toposide, **S**teroid (specifically dexamethasone), and **A**sparaginase (specifically pegaspargase). This regimen is designed to exploit the unique metabolic vulnerability of NK/T-cell lymphoma cells, which often lack asparagine synthetase and are highly sensitive to asparagine depletion. Etoposide provides additional cytotoxic activity by inhibiting DNA topoisomerase II, while dexamethasone acts as a lympholytic agent and helps manage hypersensitivity. In clinical practice, the ESA regimen is frequently utilized in "sandwich" protocols with radiotherapy or in combination with PD-1 monoclonal antibodies to improve prognosis in patients with localized ENKTL. Note: The term "erythropoiesis-stimulating agent" in some contexts appears to be an incorrect expansion of the ESA acronym used for this lymphoma protocol.

Other names

etoposide + dexamethasone + pegaspargaseerythropoiesis-stimulating agent-Ruijin Hospital-extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type