Mitoxantrone (MTN)

Mitoxantrone is an anthracenedione (not an anthracycline) antineoplastic agent. It is used in the treatment of certain types of cancer, mostly metastatic breast cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was also shown to improve the survival of children suffering from first relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The combination of mitoxantrone and prednisone is approved as a second-line treatment for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. This combination has been the first line of treatment, until recently, when combination of docetaxel and prednisone has been shown to improve survival and disease-free period. Mitoxantrone is a type II topoisomerase inhibitor; it disrupts DNA synthesis and DNA repair in both healthy cells and cancer cells, by intercalation. between the DNA bases.