♦Carmustine
(car-mus’-teen)
BCNU, BICNU
Pregnancy Category D
Mechanism of Action
A cell cycle-nonspecific alkylating agent, carmustine is a ni-trosourea derivative that alkylates DNA by causing cross-links and strand breaks.
Indications
♦ Palliative treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors
♦ Multiple myeloma
♦ Disseminated Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
♦ Malignant melanoma
♦ Carcinomas of the GI tract, breast, and lungs (response rate 21%)
♦ Ewing’s sarcoma and Burkitt’s tumor (limited studies)
Metabolism/Excretion
Rapidly metabolized and slowly excreted in the urine and in the lungs (10%). Half-life: 15 to 30 minutes.
Dosage Range
Adult
♦ Single agent: In untreated patients, 150 to 200 mg/m2 every 6 weeks. May be given as a single dose or divided into daily doses of 75 to 100 mg/m2 on 2 consecutive days.
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