A mixture of the sulfate salts of basic glycopeptide antineoplastic antibiotics isolated from Streptomyces verticillus. Bleomycin sulfate forms complexes with iron that reduce molecular oxygen to superoxide and hydroxyl radicals which cause single- and double-stranded breaks in DNA; these reactive oxygen species also induce lipid peroxidation, carbohydrate oxidation, and alterations in prostaglandin synthesis and degradation. OR A drug that is used to treat many types of cancer and is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. It comes from the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus. Blenoxane damages DNA and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antineoplastic antibiotic. Also called bleomycin sulfate.