The short answer
ABVD is the four-drug combination NCI lists for treating Hodgkin lymphoma: doxorubicin hydrochloride, bleomycin, vinblastine sulfate, and dacarbazine. All four go into a vein in repeating cycles. Two of them, bleomycin and doxorubicin, are the reason lung and heart function get watched separately.
The four letters are doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine sulfate, and dacarbazine.
NCI lists ABVD as a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Bleomycin can damage the lungs, so breathing tests may be done before and during treatment.
Doxorubicin can damage the heart, and that risk grows with the total dose given over time.
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The full explanation.
The short answer
ABVD is a chemotherapy combination. It treats Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. The letters stand for four drugs. They are doxorubicin (also called Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine. Doctors give all four together. Different drugs kill cancer cells in different ways. Combining them usually works better than one drug alone.
What each drug does
Doxorubicin and dacarbazine damage the DNA inside cancer cells. This stops the cells from dividing. Vinblastine also stops cells from splitting into two. Bleomycin causes breaks in cancer cell DNA too. Each drug can also harm some healthy cells. That is where most side effects come from. Your team gives all four on the same visit.
How it is given
ABVD goes into a vein. This is usually through an IV line or a port under the skin of your chest. Treatment comes in cycles. Each cycle has a dose, then a rest period. The rest lets your body recover before the next dose. Your number of cycles depends on your stage and how you respond. Ask your own oncologist for your exact plan.
Common side effects
Hair loss is common with ABVD. So are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and mouth sores. Your blood counts can drop for a while after each dose. This raises your infection risk. A fever is not something to wait out during this time. Report it right away. Your team will likely check your blood counts before each new cycle.
Two side effects that need special watching
Bleomycin can damage your lungs. Some doctors order breathing tests before you start this drug. These are called pulmonary function tests. Your team may repeat them during treatment too. This helps catch lung changes early. Tell your team about new shortness of breath. Also report a new cough, or breathing that feels harder than usual.
Doxorubicin can damage your heart. This risk grows with higher total doses over time. Your team may check your heart with tests before treatment starts. They may check again during treatment. Report new chest pain right away. Also report leg swelling or shortness of breath that activity does not explain.
Which symptoms cannot wait
A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher on ABVD is an emergency — CDC uses that word for fever during chemotherapy. Call your care team at once, at any hour; they can usually get you seen quickly at the cancer centre. If nobody answers promptly, go to an emergency department and say you are on chemotherapy when you arrive. Chest pain, or breathlessness that arrives suddenly or is present at rest, needs 911 or an emergency department: bleomycin can scar the lungs and doxorubicin can injure the heart. Call your care team the same day for breathlessness that has crept up on exertion, or for fast swelling.
What to expect day to day
Most people get ABVD as an outpatient. You go home the same day as your dose. Fatigue tends to build across a cycle. Plan for extra rest, especially right after each dose. Nausea can often be managed well. Your team can prescribe anti-nausea medicine alongside chemotherapy. Tell them if nausea is not under control. Do not just try to push through it.
How this fits with the rest of your treatment
ABVD may be given alone. It can also be combined with radiation therapy. This depends on your stage and how early scans show your lymphoma responding. Chemotherapy and radiation can both affect fertility in some patients. Ask about fertility preservation before treatment starts if this matters to you. ABVD can also raise your long-term risk of second cancers. This is one reason your team recommends follow-up care for years after treatment ends.
What to ask your care team
- How many cycles of ABVD am I likely to need, and how will you decide?
- Will you check my lung function and heart function, and how often?
- What temperature or symptoms should make me call you the same day?
- Will I need radiation therapy in addition to ABVD, and if so, when?
Sources
Words to know
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Common questions
What four drugs make up ABVD?
Doxorubicin hydrochloride, also sold as Adriamycin, plus bleomycin, vinblastine sulfate, and dacarbazine. All four go into a vein.
What cancer is ABVD used for?
NCI lists ABVD as a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. NCI adds that the combination may also be used with other drugs or treatments, or for other cancer types.
Why are my lungs and heart checked during ABVD?
Bleomycin can damage lung tissue and doxorubicin can damage heart muscle. Teams often test breathing and heart function before treatment and again during it, so a change is caught early.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Sources last checked: 2026-08-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-19Next planned review: 2027-01-20
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Editorial review complete — This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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