Pharmacology Chapter 43 - Drugs Used to Treat Cancer
Cancer
any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division AKA - neoplasm, neoplastic disease, new growth
malignant
cancerous
palliation
easing the severity of a pain or a disease without removing the cause
neoplastic disease
AKA "Cancer" diseases that result in new, abnormal tissue growth
Antineoplastic antibiotics
Binding to DNA, inhibiting DNA or RNA synthesis, which eventually inhibits protein synthesis, preventing cell replication. Cel cycle nonspecific. Examples: dactinomycin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, and mitomycin
Targeted anti cancer agent
Biological therapies; they include cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines. They evolved from research indicating that cell membrane receptors control cell proliferation, cell migration, angiogenesis, and cell death that are integral to the growth and spread of cancer
natural products
Derived from living tissue Examples: vincristine and vinblastine are natural derivatives of the periwinkle plant, they are cell cycle specific agent that block the formation of the mitotic spindle during mitosis, thus inhibiting cell division
Alkylating agents
G0 phase Highly reactive Chemical compounds that bond with DNA molecules, causing cross-linking of DNA strands Examples: cisplatin, ifosfamide, and temozolomide
Chemoprotective agents
Help reduce the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents to normal cells
Antimetabolites
Inhibit key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of DNA and RNA synthesis. They interfere with the ability of the neoplasmic cell to multiply. These agents are not selective to cancer cells, killing rapidly growing normal cells as well Examples: capecitabine, gemcitabine, methotrexate, and fluorouracil
Hormones
Play a major role in cancer chemotherapy. Corticosteroids may be beneficial in treating lymphomas and acute leukemia because of their lympholytic effects and ability to suppress mitosis in lymphocytes. Steroids help reduce inflammation and edema secondary to radiation Corticosteroids are used during palliative care to temporarily relieve fever, diaphoresis, and pain Estrogens and androgens are used for malignancies of sexual organs based on the assumption that these malignancies have hormonal requirements similar to those of non-malignant sexual organs Estrogens - prostatic carcinoma Androgens - metastatic breast cancer
Metastases
Secondary tumours that develop away from the original tumour.
combination therapy
The use of several drugs to target the same pathogen. Also known as multi-drug therapy. Using cell cycle specific and cell cycle nonspecific agents, is superior in therapeutic effect than the use of single agent chemotherapy
