Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Daunomicina
Daunomycin (DAW-noh-MY-sin)
The active ingredient in a drug used to treat acute leukemias and some other types of cancer. It blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and DNA repair, and it may kill cancer cells. It is a type of anthracycline antibiotic and a type of topoisomerase inhibitor. Also called daunorubicin.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.