Mechlorethamine (Mustargen®, Nitrogen Mustard)
***This medication is no longer being used but you may have received it as part of your cancer treatment.***
Mechlorethamine is a member of a class of chemotherapies called alkylating agents. It used to be called nitrogen mustard, and you may still hear it called this. It is a derivative of nitrogen gas and was first used in World War I as a chemical warfare agent. It was found to have an effect on bone marrow and white blood cells, so research began to investigate its use as a treatment for lymphoma.
Mechlorethamine exerts its anti-cancer effect by a process called alkylation. Alkylation damages the DNA of cells, which prevents them from dividing, and causes them to die. Since cancer cells, in general, divide faster and with less error-correcting than healthy cells, cancer cells are more sensitive to this damage. In this way, mechlorethamine slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body.