Carmustine is a chemotherapy that reaches the brain. It is given by infusion for brain tumours, lymphoma and myeloma, and as a slow-release wafer left in the cavity after a brain tumour is removed.
Intravenous carmustine (BiCNU, approved 1977) is indicated as palliative therapy, alone or in combination, for brain tumours (glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, ependymoma and metastatic brain tumours), multiple myeloma with prednisone, and relapsed or refractory Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; it is also part of the BEAM conditioning regimen before autologous transplant in lymphoma. The Gliadel wafer (approved 1996 for recurrent glioblastoma, 2003 for newly diagnosed high-grade glioma) is a biodegradable polifeprosan 20 implant placed in the resection cavity; the pivotal 240-patient placebo-controlled trial in newly diagnosed high-grade glioma showed a modest survival benefit. Delayed cumulative myelosuppression and dose-related pulmonary fibrosis limit lifetime dosing.
Alkylates and cross-links DNA and RNA and carbamoylates proteins; lipophilic, so it crosses the blood-brain barrier. The Gliadel wafer releases carmustine slowly into the resection cavity.
1.Carmustine slips into a pocket on its target.
Compare all products across the US, EU, UK, Japan, China and Australia →
| Region | Year | Indication |
|---|---|---|
| US | 1977 | Brain tumours, multiple myeloma, relapsed Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (BiCNU) |
| US | 1996 | Recurrent glioblastoma as an adjunct to surgery (Gliadel Wafer); newly diagnosed high-grade glioma with surgery and radiation added 2003 |
Read for the class this product belongs to (other alkylating drugs) unless the answer names the product. Population figures from the cohorts named, not a prediction for one person. Blank where no source gives a recovery figure.
Country and place are remembered in this browser only. A postcode is sent to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to find coordinates when you press the button; nothing else leaves your device.
High-dose chemotherapy with autologous transplant is the preferred consolidation for fit patients with primary CNS lymphoma who complete MATRix induction.
Autologous transplant is an effective consolidation that avoids the neurotoxicity of whole-brain radiotherapy, and IELSG43 later showed it beats non-myeloablative consolidation.
Query for this drug: (TITLE:"Carmustine" OR ABSTRACT:"Carmustine" OR TITLE:"BiCNU" OR ABSTRACT:"BiCNU" OR TITLE:"Gliadel Wafer" OR ABSTRACT:"Gliadel Wafer" OR TITLE:"BCNU" OR ABSTRACT:"BCNU" OR TITLE:"Carmustine implant" OR ABSTRACT:"Carmustine implant") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Carmustine, not a curated reading list.
Shares BMT CTN 0803, Stem cell transplant in lymphoma: what it is still for, Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, Autologous stem cell transplant (high-dose therapy) and the tag generic.
Shares Combination Chemotherapy With or Without G-CSF in Treating Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia, BMT CTN 0803, IELSG32, MATRix/IELSG43 and the tag generic.
Shares Combination Chemotherapy With or Without G-CSF in Treating Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.
Shares Phase II Study of Carmustine, Streptozocin, and Mercaptopurine for Refractory or Recurrent Brain Neoplasms, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.
Shares Combination Chemotherapy With or Without G-CSF in Treating Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.
Shares Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.
Shares Hodgkin lymphoma, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.
Shares Hodgkin lymphoma, Cytotoxic chemotherapy and the tag generic.