RT Book, Section
A1 Chabner, Bruce A.
A2 Chabner, Bruce A.
A2 Longo, Dan L.
SR Print(0)
ID 1127646297
T1 Antifolates
T2 Harrison's Manual of Oncology, 2e
YR 2016
FD 2016
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071793254
LK hemonc.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127646297
RD 2024/04/20
AB The  antifolates  were  introduced  as  antileukemic  drugs  in  1948;  in  landmark  experiments  treating  children  with  acute  lymphocytic  leukemia  (ALL),  Sidney  Farber  produced  the  first  evidence  that  chemotherapy  with  a  folate  analogue,  aminopterin,  could  lead  to  complete  remissions  (1).  Methotrexate  subsequently  became  the  standard  antifolate  in  treatment  of  ALL.  It  has  since  gained  an  important  role  in  regimens  for  lymphomas,  and  choriocarcinoma,  and  as  an  immunosuppressive  following  allogeneic  bone  marrow  transplantation.  It  is  also  a  standard  agent  for  treating  rheumatoid  arthritis,  Wegener's  granulomatosis,  and  other  inflammatory/autoimmune  diseases.  Pemetrexed  (Alimta),  a  closely  related  structure  but  with  a  different  site  of  action,  is  widely  used  for  non-small  cell  lung  cancer,  mesothelioma,  and  ovarian  cancer.  Pralatrexate,  the  newest  antifolate  similar  in  action  to  methotrexate,  is  highly  active  against  peripheral  T-cell  lymphoma  and  cutaneous  T-cell  lymphoma.