What type of anti-tumor drug does Melphalan/Melphalan for injection belong to?

Melphalan for injection/Melphalan flufenamide belongs to the alkylating agent class of anti-tumor drugs. Alkylating agents are drugs that exert anti-tumor effects by introducing alkyl groups intoDNA molecules, thereby interfering with the normal replication and function of cells. The mechanism of this type of drug is mainly to form cross-links by combining with DNA, causing DNA chain breaks, thus hindering the proliferation of tumor cells.

Melphalan itself is a classic alkylating agent widely used in the treatment of multiple myeloma and other malignancies. However, the special feature of melphalan for injection is that its structure has been improved to become the ethyl ester of a lipophilic dipeptide, which makes its metabolism and activity in the body show characteristics different from traditional melphalan. The drug not only retains the alkylating ability of melphalan, but also, due to its improved structure, can more effectively penetrate cell membranes and be rapidly hydrolyzed into active ingredients within cells, enhancing its anti-tumor effect.

In clinical practice, injectable melphalan is particularly used to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma because these patients are often resistant to multiple therapies and novel alkylating agents can provide new treatment options. Compared with traditional treatments, the use of Melphalan flufenamide can be combined with other therapies, such as immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors, to improve efficacy and patient prognosis.

Although alkylating agents play an important role in cancer treatment, their application is also accompanied by certain side effects. These side effects include, but are not limited to, bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal reactions, and immune system suppression. Therefore, when clinicians use such drugs, they usually need to closely monitor patients to adjust dosage and treatment regimens to minimize side effects and improve treatment effectiveness.