CYTARABINE Meaning and
Definition
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Cytarabine, also known as cytosine arabinoside or ara-C, is a chemotherapy medication that is primarily used in the treatment of certain types of cancer, particularly leukemia. It belongs to the class of medications known as antimetabolites, which work by interfering with the ability of cancer cells to grow and divide.
Cytarabine acts by inhibiting the synthesis of DNA, the genetic material required for cell replication. It does so by being incorporated into the DNA molecule during replication, which disrupts the formation of new DNA strands and disrupts the normal cell division process. This ultimately leads to the inhibition of cancer cell growth and the destruction of cancer cells.
The drug is most commonly administered as an injection into the vein, although it can also be given intrathecally (injected into the spinal canal) for the treatment of certain types of leukemia that have spread to the central nervous system.
While cytarabine is mainly used in the treatment of leukemia, it may also be used in combination with other medications to treat other types of cancer, such as lymphoma or solid tumors. Common side effects of cytarabine may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bone marrow suppression, hair loss, and mouth sores.
It is important to note that cytarabine should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional and careful monitoring due to its potentially serious side effects and toxicities.
Common Misspellings for CYTARABINE
- Cytarabile
- Cytarabioe
- Cytarabinu
- Cytarabinm
- Cytarabina
- Cytarabing
- cytarabeene
- c ytarabine
- cy tarabine
- cyt arabine
- cyta rabine
- cytar abine
- cytara bine
- cytarab ine
- cytarabi ne
- cytarabin e
Etymology of CYTARABINE
The word "Cytarabine" is derived from its chemical structure and the component molecules it is composed of.
The prefix "cyt-" in "Cytarabine" refers to "cytosine", which is one of the four nucleobases found in DNA and RNA. Cytosine is an important molecule involved in the genetic code and is responsible for the information storage and transfer within cells.
The suffix "-arabine", on the other hand, refers to "arabinose". Arabinose is a type of sugar molecule, a pentose sugar, that is commonly found in nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.
When combining these two elements, the name "Cytarabine" is created to describe a nucleoside analog, a synthetic medication that mimics nucleosides, consisting of cytosine and arabinose.
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