Until 1946, government secrecy restrictions prevented publication of small case series, but the experiments continued, and on March 15, 1949, mechlorethamine (Mustargen) became the first chemical agent to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of cancer, transforming an agent of death into one that held the promise of extended life and launching a revolution.
The drug that started it all, Mustargen, became a key element in the revolutionary MOPP (Mustargen, Oncovin, procarbazine, and prednisone) combination chemotherapy regimen pioneered by Dr.
Initial observations regarding Mustargen were made during World War I, "when thousands were gassed," leading to recognition of profound lymph and bone marrow suppression in exposed soldiers and speculation that the agent might have therapeutic utility in diseases characterized by lymphoid and myeloid proliferation, said Dr.