Doxorubicin
AdriamycinPubChem CID 31703 · 3D model
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Wedges itself into a cancer cell's DNA and jams the enzyme the cell needs to untangle and copy it, so the cell can't divide — and dies instead.
How it works
Doxorubicin slips into the DNA inside cancer cells and physically distorts it, jamming the machinery the cell uses to copy and read its genes. It also disables an enzyme called topoisomerase II, which cells normally rely on to untwist and repair their DNA, so breaks pile up faster than the cell can fix them. The drug also generates unstable, reactive oxygen molecules that cause extra damage — including to heart muscle, which is why heart function is monitored during treatment. Altogether, this stops cancer cells from dividing and pushes them toward death.
What it’s used for
Given alongside other chemotherapy drugs after breast cancer surgery when cancer has reached nearby lymph nodes. Also used to treat several types of leukemia and lymphoma, and advanced cancers of the breast, ovary, thyroid, stomach, bladder, and lung, plus certain childhood cancers and soft-tissue or bone sarcomas.
- Mechanism
- Topoisomerase II inhibitor / DNA intercalator
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Oncology