Search
The NCI Drug Dictionary search allows searching for drugs by brand names, generic names, chemical names, or codes. Type a complete or a partial drug name into the search box, then click "GO".

"Starts with" vs. "Contains": The search is set up to find terms that start with the words or characters you type. Use "Contains" when you want to find all terms in the dictionary that include what you want. For example, searching "melanoma" by default finds "Melanoma Helper Peptide Vaccine," while choosing "Contains" will also find terms such as "Polyvalent Melanoma Vaccine."

Matching: What you enter must match exactly the start or part of some name, brand, acronym, code, chemical structure name, or other term linked to a drug. There is no approximate matching - for example, "Gleavec" will not match "Gleevec." If you are not sure of the spelling, try shorter or alternative forms, or try the alphabetical browse lists.

Search Results
If the search that you enter matches more than one drug name or part of a drug name, all the matches are listed on the search results page. Also, the matched string is highlighted in the names of drugs. The match occurs on either the preferred name for the drug or one of the other names (including synonyms, chemical structure names etc.). If the match occurs in one of the other names, both the preferred name and the matched other name are listed in the search results. Clicking on the link brings up more details about the drug, including all the other names that the drug may be known by.

A definition is provided for each drug along with a link to the NCI Thesaurus for more detailed information about the drug. Other names that the drug may be known by are also listed, including chemical structure names and IND Code. Entries in the dictionary also include links to check for clinical trials listed in NCI's PDQ® Cancer Clinical Trials Registry.

Additional Drugs: The NCI Drug Dictionary focuses on drugs used in clinical trials. Many more drugs are included in the NCI Thesaurus, which is the source of the information in the NCI Drug Dictionary. NCI Thesaurus is produced by NCI's Enterprise Vocabulary Services.