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methotrexate
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DermNet - Methotrexate (May 22, 2025)
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News •

Methotrexate found to be effective alternative to prednisone for pulmonary sarcoidosis • May 19, 2025, 2:14 AM ET (News-Medical)
Methotrexate as effective as prednisone in pulmonary sarcoidosis, research finds • May 18, 2025, 7:15 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

methotrexate, drug used to slow the growth of certain cancers, including leukemia, breast cancer, and lung cancer. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, a skin disease in which abnormally rapid proliferation of epidermal cells occurs. Methotrexate is an antimetabolite of the B vitamin folic acid (folate). It prevents the synthesis of nucleic acids and thus inhibits cell reproduction. This property also makes it effective as an agent of medical abortion, either for the termination of ectopic pregnancy or of normal intrauterine pregnancy during the first seven to nine weeks.