Procarbazine

Procarbazine is a type of chemotherapy drug. It is a treatment for a number of different cancer types.

You pronounce procarbazine as proh-kar-buh-zeen.

You usually have it with other cancer drugs, but you can sometimes have it on its own. Your treatment plan depends on your cancer type.

How does procarbazine work?

Procarbazine destroys quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.

How do you have procarbazine?

You take procarbazine as capsules. You swallow the capsules whole with a glass of water. You can take them with or without food.

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 miss a dose.

How often do you have procarbazine?

You usually have procarbazine as a course of several cycles of treatment. This means that you have the drug and then a rest to allow your body to recover.

Each cycle varies depending on what type of cancer you have. Your doctor or nurse will tell you more about this.

What are the side effects of procarbazine?

Side effects 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. 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.

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:

Feeling or being sick

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.

This usually improves after the first few days.

Loss of appetite

You might lose your appetite for various reasons while having cancer treatment. Sickness, taste changes or tiredness can put you off food and drinks.

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:

• increased risk of getting an infection due to low white blood cell count

• bruising and bleeding more easily due to a low number of platelets

• lack of energy (lethargy)

• inflammation of the lung tissue - you may be short of breath, cough, or have a burning feeling in your chest

• liver changes – including yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice). You will have regular tests to check how well your liver works

• an allergic reaction that can cause a rash, shortness of breath, redness or swelling of the face and dizziness - some allergic reactions can be life threatening, alert your nurse or doctor if you notice any of these symptoms

• a rare cancer of the blood called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) when taken as part of MOPP chemotherapy combination

What else do you need to know?

Other medicines, food and drink

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.

Pregnancy and contraception

It is unknown whether treatment may or may not harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or get someone pregnant while you are having treatment. Let your team know straight away if you or your partner become pregnant while having treatment.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception you can use during treatment. Ask how long you should use it before starting treatment and after treatment has finished.

Breastfeeding

Don’t breastfeed during this treatment because the drug may come through into your breast milk.

Fertility

You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant after treatment with this drug. 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.    

Read more about fertility and chemotherapy

Treatment for other conditions

If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.

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, 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.

Contact with others who have had immunisations 

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 ​immune system​ 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