{"entity":{"id":"chlorambucil","kind":"drug","name":"Chlorambucil","aka":[],"tldr":"Chlorambucil (Leukeran) is a gentle oral chemotherapy tablet used for decades in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and low-grade lymphomas, mainly in older patients.","summary":"Approved in 1957, chlorambucil is indicated for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and malignant lymphomas including lymphosarcoma, giant follicular lymphoma and Hodgkin disease; the label states it is palliative rather than curative. It was the comparator arm in the trials that established fludarabine, alemtuzumab and, with obinutuzumab (CLL11), the chemoimmunotherapy era in unfit CLL patients, and it is still used with an anti-CD20 antibody in frail patients where BTK inhibitors or venetoclax are unavailable. Myelosuppression is dose-limiting; long-term use increases the risk of secondary leukaemia and it is teratogenic and impairs fertility.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorambucil","links":[{"label":"US label (DailyMed)","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=chlorambucil"},{"label":"NCI drug page","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/chlorambucil"}],"tags":["nci-list","generic"],"related":[],"cancers":["cll","hodgkin-lymphoma","follicular-lymphoma","cll-treatment-naive"],"sections":[],"technologies":["cytotoxic-chemotherapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["gsk"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["nct04075292","nct06970743"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"brand":"Leukeran","modality":"Alkylating agent (nitrogen mustard)","mechanism":"Aromatic nitrogen mustard that alkylates DNA, interfering with replication and inducing p53- and Bax-mediated apoptosis.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1957,"indication":"Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (palliative)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/chlorambucil/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"cll","kind":"cancer","name":"Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia","route":"/cancers/cll/"},{"id":"cll-treatment-naive","kind":"cancer","name":"Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, first treatment","route":"/cancers/cll-treatment-naive/"},{"id":"malt-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma)","route":"/cancers/malt-lymphoma/"},{"id":"follicular-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Follicular lymphoma","route":"/cancers/follicular-lymphoma/"},{"id":"hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Hodgkin lymphoma","route":"/cancers/hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"marginal-zone-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Marginal zone lymphoma","route":"/cancers/marginal-zone-lymphoma/"},{"id":"sezary-syndrome","kind":"cancer","name":"Sezary syndrome","route":"/cancers/sezary-syndrome/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cytotoxic-chemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cytotoxic chemotherapy","route":"/technologies/cytotoxic-chemotherapy/"}],"company":[{"id":"gsk","kind":"company","name":"GSK","route":"/companies/gsk/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct06970743","kind":"trial","name":"A Study of BGB-16673 Compared to Investigator's Choice in Participants With Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma Previously Exposed to Covalent Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) Inhibitors","route":"/trials/nct06970743/"},{"id":"ielsg-19","kind":"trial","name":"IELSG-19","route":"/trials/ielsg-19/"},{"id":"resonate-2","kind":"trial","name":"RESONATE-2","route":"/trials/resonate-2/"},{"id":"nct04075292","kind":"trial","name":"Study of Acalabrutinib Versus Chlorambucil Plus Rituximab in Adult Subjects With Previously Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia","route":"/trials/nct04075292/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-ielsg-19-chlorambucil-rituximab-malt-jco-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Final results of the IELSG-19 randomized trial of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: improved event-free and progression-free survival with rituximab plus chlorambucil versus either chlorambucil or rituximab monotherapy","route":"/key-papers/paper-ielsg-19-chlorambucil-rituximab-malt-jco-2017/"}],"drug":[{"id":"phosphorus-32","kind":"drug","name":"Phosphorus-32 (radiophosphorus)","route":"/drugs/phosphorus-32/"},{"id":"uracil-mustard","kind":"drug","name":"Uracil mustard","route":"/drugs/uracil-mustard/"}]}}