Cancer drugs A to Z list
GDP is a combination of:
G – gemcitabine (jem-site-uh-been)
D – dexamethasone (deks-uh-meth-uh-zone)
P – cisplatin (sis-pla-tin)
It is a treatment for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Find out about treatment for your type of lymphoma
Gemcitabine and cisplatin are chemotherapy drugs. These drugs destroy quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.
Dexamethasone is a steroid. It treats lymphoma by stopping the cancer cells growing and killing them. It may also help you feel less sick during treatment. And help reduce your body’s , to try and prevent an allergic reaction to rituximab.
You have gemcitabine and cisplatin as a drip into your bloodstream (intravenously).
You take dexamethasone as tablets. You swallow them whole after a meal or with milk, as they can irritate your stomach. It is best to take them early in the day, immediately after breakfast.
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.
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 a cancer drug, or if you have missed a dose.
You have GDP as cycles of treatment. This means that you have the drugs and then a rest to allow your body to recover.
Each cycle of treatment lasts 21 days (3 weeks). You may have up to 6 cycles of treatment. Your doctor will tell you the number of cycles you will have.
Exactly how you have the cancer drugs depends on your situation. The following is an example:
You have cisplatin as a drip into your bloodstream over about 2 hours.
You have gemcitabine as a drip into your bloodstream over about 30 minutes.
You take dexamethasone tablets once a day in the morning with or just after breakfast.
You take dexamethasone in the morning with or just after breakfast.
You have no treatment
You have gemcitabine as a drip into your bloodstream over about 30 minutes.
You have no treatment.
You then start the next cycle of treatment.
You might also have a drug called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). This makes your bone marrow produce more quickly after treatment. It helps lower your risk of getting an infection.
Your doctor will tell you if you need G-CSF and for how long.
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.
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 treatments you're having.
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. 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 white blood cells. 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.
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. This is known as petechiae.
You might be breathless and look pale due to a drop in red blood cells. This is called anaemia.
A build up of fluid that may cause swelling in your arms, hands, ankles, legs, face or other parts of the body. This is called oedema. It usually gets better after treatment finishes. Contact your healthcare team if this happens to you.
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.
You might get a skin rash with this combination of drugs. The skin rash can be a reaction to the treatment.
Another common skin problem includes itching. Your skin might be sore, peel, scale, blister, or ulcer. These are rarer side effects.
Your skin usually goes back to normal when your treatment finishes. Let your healthcare team can tell you what products you can use on your skin to help. Also if you have a temperature or are more sensitive to light.
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.
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.
You might get a high temperature. Or you might feel cold or start shivering (chills).
These may include headaches, muscle aches, a high temperature, shivering and generally feeling tired and weak. Other symptoms can include a cough, runny nose and generally feeling unwell.
Ask your healthcare team if you can take medicines such as paracetamol to help.
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.
You might have small amounts of blood and protein in your pee. These are picked up when your nurse tests your pee. This usually goes away on its own. If there are large amounts of protein you may have tests to check how well your kidneys are working.
You may have difficulty breathing with wheezing and coughing. Let your healthcare team know straight away if this happens.
More rarely you might have breathlessness, damage to the lungs or temporary narrowing of the bronchial tubes. This might cause wheezing or a cough.
Let your healthcare team know if you have any breathing problems.
You may have changes in the levels of minerals in your blood, including low levels of sodium. You have regular blood tests during treatment to check this.
You may have other changes picked up in blood tests, for example changes to how well your pancreas is working. These changes are usually mild and go back to normal after treatment finishes.
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:
sepsis - a serious reaction to an infection. Signs can include feeling very unwell, not peeing, 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
loss of appetite
difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia)
feeling sleepy or very drowsy
hearing changes such as ringing or buzzing in the ear (tinnitus) and ear pain
heart problems such as an abnormal heart rhythm, slow or fast heartbeat. More serious but rare heart problems include a heart attack or the sudden stopping of your heart
blood clots that can be life threatening; signs are pain, redness and swelling where the clot is. Feeling breathless can be a sign of a blood clot in the lung. Contact your advice line or doctor straight away if you have any of these symptoms
a blocked, runny or itchy nose or sneezing
back pain
mouth sores and ulcers
sweating
muscle aches and pain
headaches
cough
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
posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) - a rare disorder of the nerves causing headache, fits, confusion and changes in vision - contact your health team straight away. This condition is reversible
kidney problems such as kidney failure or small blood clots in the blood vessels inside the kidney (haemolytic uremic syndrome)
abnormal sperm production in men
low magnesium levels in the blood, symptoms include - muscle cramps, tiredness or nausea
fits (seizures)
a second cancer such as acute leukaemia
an allergic reaction - a reaction may happen during the infusion. Symptoms can include a skin rash, itching, swelling of the lips, face or throat, breathing difficulties, fever and chills. Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if at any time you feel unwell. They will slow or stop your drip for a while and give you medicine to help relieve your symptoms.
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:
changes to your face and appearance – such as puffy face, stretch marks, acne or increased facial hair
high or low blood sugar levels
weakened bones that are fragile and more likely to break (osteoporosis)
adrenal insufficiency - when your adrenal glands don’t make enough of the hormones your body needs to handle stress, control blood pressure and balance salt and sugar levels. This can lead to symptoms like extreme tiredness, low blood pressure, and weight loss
increased appetite and weight gain
mood changes such as depression, anxiety, mood swings or feeling manic
inflammation of your pancreas - symptoms include severe tummy pain, feeling or being sick, a high temperature or you may have loose poo. Tell your doctor or nurse if you get these symptoms
slow wound healing
hiccups
high levels of types of fat in your blood called cholesterol and triglycerides. You will have regular blood tests to check this
If you have side effects that aren’t listed on this page, you can look at the individual drug pages:
We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.
Read more about how to cope with side effects
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We are unable to list all the possible interactions that may happen. 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.
You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant 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.
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.
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.
Don’t breastfeed during this treatment. This is because the drugs may come through in your breast milk.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
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, and yellow fever.
You can usually 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 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.
Read more about immunisations and cancer treatment
For further information about each drug and the possible side effects go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website. You can find patient information leaflets for each drug on this website.
You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.
Last reviewed: 22 Jul 2025
Next review due: 22 Jul 2028
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.
Cancer drugs have side effects and these can vary from person to person. But there are things that you can do to help you cope.
Coping with cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available. Find out about the emotional, physical and practical effects of cancer and how to manage them.
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