Lomustine

DescriptionLomustine is a pale yellow powder. Molecularweight = 233.73; Freezing/Melting point = 90℃. Insolublein water.

UsesChloroethylnitrosourea derivative with antitumor activity. Similar to carmustine, chlorozotocin, nimustine, ranimustine. Antineoplastic.

UsesCCNU is an oral anticancer drug that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1976 for marketing, as lomustine (FDA 2009a). CCNU is used alone or in combination with other antineoplastic agents, including procarbazine and vincristine, etoposide and prednimustine, and other combinations (IARC 1981, HSDB 2009). It is used primarily in the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease and brain tumors, but it has also been used to treat other cancer, includ-ing lung cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, malignant melanoma, breast cancer, kidney cancer, and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract (MedlinePlus 2009). It has also been applied to the skin to treat mycosis fungoides and psoriasis.

UsesLomustine USP is used to treat Malignant brain tumors; Hodgkin’s disease.

General DescriptionLomustine is available in 10-, 40-, and 100-mg capsules fororal administration in the treatment of primary and metastaticbrain cancers and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This lipophilicagent is well absorbed, widely distributed, and crosses theblood-brain barrier. Lomustine undergoes extensive hepaticmetabolism, which is mediated by CYP3A4 to give severalhydroxylated metabolites, which arise as a result of oxidationof the cyclohexyl ring. Several of these are more activethan the parent compound. Denitrosation and dechlorinationhave also been demonstrated to occur for lomustine as well.The intact drug was not found in plasma when the agent wasadministered orally. Elimination occurs primarily in theurine with an elimination half-life of 16 to 72 hours.Myelosuppression is dose limiting and presents in a mannersimilar to that seen with carmustine. Other toxicities includenausea, vomiting, anorexia, impotence, sterility, amenorrhea,and infertility. Pulmonary and renal toxicity are rarelyseen during standard-dose therapy but increase during highdosetherapy.