Nelarabine
Encyclopedia
Nelarabine is a chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....

 drug used in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia can refer to:* Precursor T acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma* Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma...

. It was previously known as 506U78.

Nelarabine is a purine
Purine
A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature....

 nucleoside
Nucleoside
Nucleosides are glycosylamines consisting of a nucleobase bound to a ribose or deoxyribose sugar via a beta-glycosidic linkage...

 analog converted to its corresponding arabinosylguanine nucleotide triphosphate (araGTP), resulting in inhibition of DNA synthesis
DNA synthesis
DNA synthesis commonly refers to:*DNA replication - DNA biosynthesis *Polymerase chain reaction - enzymatic DNA synthesis *Oligonucleotide synthesis - chemical synthesis of nucleic acids...

 and cytotoxicity. Pre-clinical studies suggest that T-cells are particularly sensitive to nelarabine. In October 2005, it was approved by the FDA for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone...

 and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma
Lymphoblastic lymphoma
Lymphoblastic lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a result of abnormal adaptive immune cells, typically T-cells. It usually occurs in children....

 that has not responded to or has relapsed following treatment with at least two chemotherapy regimens. It was later approved in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 on August 22, 2007. Complete responses have been achieved with this medication.

It is marketed in the US as Arranon and as Atriance in the EU by GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...

.

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