A group of anti-cancer drugs that prevent cell from growing and dividing by blocking the chemical reactions required in the cell to produce DNA. Drugs of this type include 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine, thioguanine, methotrexate, and cytarabine .
These treatment approaches employ multiagent regimens that are not restricted to antimetabolites, since antimetabolite based therapy has been shown to be inadequate for patients with high-risk ALL.