Nelarabine-associated reversible Guillain-Barr é-like syndrome/myelopathy in an adult patient with primary refractory T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma

Nelarabine is a purine analogue used for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) mainly as a bridge to stem cell transplantation (SCT). The water-soluble prodrug of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl guanine (Ara-G) is phosphorylated within leukemic cells to form ara-G triphosphate (ara-GTP), which terminates DNA chain elongation, resulting in cell death. The drug received accelarated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 2005 based on the induction of complete remissions (CR) in two phase II trials.
Source: Current Problems in Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research