A cell-cycle phase nonspecific alkylating antineoplastic agent.
It is used in the treatment of brain tumors and various other malignant neoplasms.
This substance may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen according to the
Fourth Annual Report on Carcinogens.
Brain Neoplasms
Neoplasms of the intracranial components of the central nervous system,
including the cerebral hemispheres, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, thalamus,
brain stem, and cerebellum. Brain neoplasms are subdivided into primary
(originating from brain tissue) and secondary (i.e., metastatic) forms.
Primary neoplasms are subdivided into benign and malignant forms.
In general, brain tumors may also be classified by age of onset,
histologic type, or presenting location in the brain.
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Pharmacologic Action
Alkylating Antineoplastic Agent
A class of drugs that differs from other alkylating agents used clinically in that
they are monofunctional and thus unable to cross-link cellular macromolecules.
Among their common properties are a requirement for metabolic activation to
intermediates with antitumor efficacy and the presence in their chemical structures
of N-methyl groups, that after metabolism, can covalently modify cellular DNA.
The precise mechanisms by which
each of these drugs acts to kill tumor cells are not completely understood.
