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