Chlorambucil

Chlorambucil (marketed as Leukeran by GlaxoSmithKline) is a chemotherapy drug that has been mainly used in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. It is a nitrogen mustard alkylating agent and can be given orally.

In the past, it has been used for treating some types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, polycythemia vera, trophoblastic neoplasms, ovarian carcinoma. It also has been used as an immunosuppressive drug for various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, eg. nephrotic syndrome. Its current use is mainly for CLL as it is well tolerated by most patients, though this has been primarily replaced by fludarabine.

Side Effects

Myelosuppression (anaemia, neutropaenia, thrombocytopaenia), or bone marrow suppression is the most commonly occurring side effect of Chlorambucil. Withdrawn from the drug, this side effect may be reversible, but bone marrow failure can occur in rare cases.

Less commonly occurring side effects include:

  • Gastrointestinal Distress (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and oral ulcerations).
  • Central Nervous System: Seizures, tremors, muscular twitching, confusion, agitation, ataxia, and hallucinations.
  • Skin reactions
  • Hepatotoxicity
  • Infertility

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