What Do Alkylating Agents Do

Alkylating agents keep the cell from reproducing (making copies of itself) by damaging its DNA. These drugs work in all phases of the cell cycle and are used to treat many different cancers, including cancers of the lung, breast, and ovary as well as leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, multiple myeloma, and sarcoma.

What is meant by alkylating agent?

Definition of alkylating agent : a substance that causes replacement of hydrogen by an alkyl group especially in a biologically important molecule specifically : one with mutagenic activity that inhibits cell division and growth and is used to treat some cancers.

How do alkylating agents cause cancer?

Alkylating agents induce dose-limiting myelosuppression and cause sublethal DNA damage to hematopoietic progenitors, causing mutational events that lead to malignant transformation to preleukemic and leukemic states.