Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating

Synonyms

Alkylating Agents, Antineoplastic

Alkylating Antineoplastic Agents

Alkylating Antineoplastic Drugs

Alkylating Antineoplastics

Alkylating Drugs, Antineoplastic

Antineoplastic Alkylating Agents

Antineoplastic Alkylating Drugs

Antineoplastic Drugs, Alkylating

Antineoplastics, Alkylating

Drugs, Antineoplastic Alkylating

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. (From AMA, Drug Evaluations Annual, 1994, p2026)