mitoxantrone + etoposide + cytarabine

Mitoxantrone + etoposide + cytarabine (commonly referred to as the MEC regimen) is a combination chemotherapy protocol primarily used for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Each component acts via a distinct mechanism: - Mitoxantrone is an anthracenedione antineoplastic agent that intercalates into DNA and inhibits topoisomerase II, leading to DNA strand breaks and inhibition of cell replication. - Etoposide is a topoisomerase II inhibitor that causes DNA damage by preventing religation of double-stranded breaks induced during DNA replication. - Cytarabine is an antimetabolite that incorporates into DNA during the S-phase of the cell cycle, inhibiting DNA polymerase and causing chain termination. The combination exploits these complementary mechanisms to maximize anti-leukemic activity. The regimen has demonstrated efficacy as salvage therapy in patients with AML who are resistant to standard induction therapy or have relapsed disease[2][3][8]. Severe myelosuppression and infection risk are common toxicities.

Other names

mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabineMEC regimen