Knowra Chlorambucil Chlorambucil Chlorambucil is an oral alkylating chemotherapy drug that damages DNA by forming covalent bonds with it. It is used mainly to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and some lymphomas.
Alkylating agent : A drug or chemical that transfers an alkyl group to biological molecules, often damaging DNA. Chlorambucil belongs to this drug class and kills cells through alkylation.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia : A usually slow-growing cancer in which abnormal mature B lymphocytes accumulate in blood, marrow, and lymphoid tissues. This is chlorambucil’s principal disease indication, especially in older treatment regimens.
Oral administration : Delivery of a medicine through the mouth for absorption in the digestive tract. Chlorambucil is taken by mouth, unlike many cytotoxic drugs given intravenously.
Cyclophosphamide : An alkylating chemotherapy drug used in combination regimens for cancers and autoimmune diseases. Both are nitrogen mustard alkylators, but their activation and treatment roles differ.
Nitrogen mustard chemotherapy : The use of nitrogen mustard compounds as anticancer drugs after their cell-killing effects were recognized. Chlorambucil emerged from the early clinical development of this chemotherapy approach.
DNA cross-link : A covalent bond connecting two sites in DNA or linking DNA to another molecule. Chlorambucil can cross-link DNA strands, obstructing replication and transcription.
Small lymphocytic lymphoma : A lymphoma composed of the same type of B cell seen in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, usually concentrated in lymph nodes. Chlorambucil has been used to treat this closely related B-cell malignancy.
Myelosuppression : Reduced production of blood cells by bone marrow, causing risks such as infection, anemia, and bleeding. Bone-marrow suppression is a major dose-limiting toxicity of chlorambucil.
Bendamustine : An alkylating chemotherapy drug with a benzimidazole ring, used for several B-cell cancers. Bendamustine is a related alkylator often used where chlorambucil once served.
Alfred Gilman : An American pharmacologist whose research helped establish nitrogen mustards as cancer chemotherapy. His work on nitrogen mustard treatment helped create the drug class chlorambucil belongs to.
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