Dacarbazine is a chemotherapy medicine given by IV. It is used with other drugs or alone to treat certain cancers. You will get it in a clinic or hospital by trained staff. This guide explains key safety points, how it works, and side effects to watch for.
Brand Name(s)
- DTIC-Dome (brand name, may not be widely available)
- Generic: dacarbazine for injection
Warning(s)
- Low blood cell counts (myelosuppression): Your white cells, red cells, and platelets can drop. This raises your risk for serious infections, anemia, and bleeding. These problems have rarely been deadly.
- Liver problems (rare but serious): Severe liver injury has happened, rarely fatal. Watch for dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea or stomach pain, light-colored stools, vomiting, or yellow skin/eyes.
- Can cause cancer and harm an unborn baby (animal data): This medicine has caused cancer and birth defects in animals. Use effective birth control during treatment and for the time your care team recommends. Do not breastfeed during treatment.
- Tissue damage if the drug leaks outside the vein (extravasation): Tell your nurse right away if you feel pain, burning, redness, swelling, blisters, or leaking at the IV site.
- Severe nausea and vomiting can occur: You may receive medicines to help prevent this. Tell your care team if nausea or vomiting is not controlled.
- Drug interactions: Dacarbazine can interact with other prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and herbal products. Always share an up-to-date list of everything you take with your care team and pharmacist.
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Before you start:
- Tell your care team about any allergies to medicines, foods, or substances, and what reactions you had.
- Tell them about all health conditions you have now or had in the past, especially liver problems or infections.
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While on treatment, reduce infection and bleeding risks:
- Wash your hands often and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Use a soft toothbrush and an electric razor.
- Be careful to avoid cuts and falls.
- Monitoring: You will have regular blood tests to check blood counts and liver function.
- Vaccines: Ask your care team before getting any vaccines during treatment.
Get urgent medical help right away if you have any of the following:
- Signs of an allergic reaction: rash; hives; itching; swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat; trouble breathing; chest or throat tightness; severe dizziness; or hoarseness.
- Signs of infection: fever, chills, very sore throat, cough, new or changing sputum, painful urination, mouth sores, or a wound that will not heal.
- Signs of bleeding: vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds; coughing up blood; blood in urine; black or tarry stools; unusual vaginal bleeding; bleeding gums; bruises without a cause or that get larger; bleeding you cannot stop.
- Severe or worsening tiredness or weakness.
- Any redness, burning, pain, swelling, blisters, skin sores, or fluid leaking where the IV is placed.
Kind of Cancers It Is Used For (not a complete list)
- Melanoma (often metastatic or advanced)
- Hodgkin lymphoma (commonly as part of a combination regimen)
- Other cancers as determined by your oncology team (for example, some soft tissue sarcomas)
Your care team will decide if dacarbazine fits your specific cancer type and treatment plan.
Mechanism of Action
Dacarbazine is a type of chemotherapy called an alkylating agent (a triazene). It is a prodrug, meaning your body changes it into an active substance.
- After activation in the liver, it turns into compounds (including MTIC) that add chemical groups to DNA.
- This damages the DNA of cancer cells and blocks them from dividing.
- Cells that grow and divide quickly, like many cancer cells, are more likely to be harmed by this process.
Because it also affects some normal fast-growing cells, side effects can happen in places like the bone marrow, hair follicles, and the lining of the mouth and gut.
Common Side Effects
- Upset stomach and vomiting: Very common with dacarbazine. If nausea or vomiting keeps you from drinking fluids or eating, tell your care team.
- Decreased appetite and weight loss: Small, frequent meals and fluids may help. Ask about ways to manage appetite changes.
- Fatigue or weakness: Rest when needed and balance activity with breaks.
- Low blood counts: You may feel tired (anemia), bruise more easily (low platelets), or have more infections (low white cells).
- Hair loss or thinning: Hair usually grows back after treatment ends.
- Flushing: A warm, red feeling in the face or body can occur during or after infusions.
- Numbness or tingling of the face: Usually short-lived; report if severe or persistent.
- Diarrhea or constipation: Let your care team know if bowel changes are severe or last more than a day or two.
- Mouth or throat soreness: Keep the mouth clean; report painful sores or trouble swallowing.
- Injection-site irritation: Pain, redness, or swelling at the IV site can happen.
These are not all possible side effects. Side effects can vary based on your dose, schedule, and other medicines you take. Always report side effects that are severe, do not improve, or worry you. Your care team may have strategies to help you feel better and stay on track with treatment.
Last reviewed: 2025-12-17
