What do alkylating chemotherapy drugs do?
Chemotherapy drugs that are cell cycle nonspecific, so they exert their effects in all phases of the cell
... [Show More] cycle. They directly damage DNA to prevent cancer cells from reproducing. They cause breaks in the DNA or cross-linking in a process called alkylation, which causes the drug to interfere with DNA replication.
neoadjuvant therapy
a cancer treatment that precedes other primary treatment, such as administering chemotherapy or radiation therapy to a patient before surgery
adjuvant therapy
Treatment of disease with substances that assist or enhance the action of primary treatment (i.e. surgery or radiation).
induction treatment of leukemia
This phase of chemotherapy treatment (first phase of treatment) usually is initiated in the hospital because of its potential for serious side effects and complications from the severe, intended myelosuppression that ensues. The goal is to achieve a complete response.
consolidation treatment
This treatment is done to ensure the treatment takes effect and decreases the chance of a recurrence. This treatment is vital because leukemic cells that are not clinically apparent, as through a CBC laboratory draw result or bone marrow biopsy evaluation, are almost always still present to some small degree in the bone marrow.
myeloablation therapy
A process in which the bone marrow purposely is obliterated through chemotherapy or radiation to prepare for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation. Myeloablation often is used to treat blood (i.e., liquid) malignancies, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
reinduction therapy
This treatment is used when a patient who successfully completed induction and consolidation, but relapses months later.
combination therapy
This therapy reduces the likelihood of drug resistance because the different chemotherapy drugs have different mechanisms of action.
Cancer cells usually are heterogeneous; therefore, the effect of different mechanisms of action increases the amount of cancer cells killed at one time. The efficiency seen by use of multiple chemotherapy agents within a regimen provides a synergistic effect.
synergy
When one chemotherapy drug helps another one (given at the same time) work better, such as with leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil when treating colon cancer. Leucovorin increases the deadly effect that 5-fluorouracil has on cancer cells; in other words, the cytotoxicity is potentiated.
complete response
No identifiable cancer presence through signs or symptoms for at least one month or longer
partial response
The measurable tumor is reduced by 50% for at least one month without the development of new tumors.
stable
The tumor is reduced in size by less than 50%, or less than a 25% increase in tumor growth occurs.
progressive disease
Tumor growth of more than 25% or development of new cancer growth in the body
relapse or recurrence
New tumor growth after experiencing a complete response
What are the three ways to measure a response to therapy?
surgical, imaging and tumor marker tests
G phases chemotherapy specific goal(s)
prevent development of elements necessary for mitosis.
G phase chemotherapy drug examples
Toposomerase I inhibitors (irinotecan, topotecan and Topoisomerate II (doxorubicin , etoposide) and Blyomycin
M phase chemotherapy specific goal(s)
prevent cell from going through mitosis, ranging from metaphase arrest to microtubular disorganization
M phase chemotherapy drug examples
Plant alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine, vinorelbine) and Taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel)
S phase chemotherapy specific goal(s)
prevent the cell from making DNA and/or RNA by inhibiting biosynthesis of nucleic acids
S phase chemotherapy drug examples
antifolates (methotrexate), antipyrimidines (5-fu), and antipurines (hydroxyurea)
Non-specific cell cycle drug examples
alkylating agents (Cytoxan), anthracycline antibiotics (doxorubin), Nitrosureas (lomustine) and Miscellaneous (cisplatin, dacarbazine, mitomycin C)
Name some alkylating chemotherapy drugs.
Busulfan
Carboplatin
Cisplatin
Cyclophosphamide
Ifosfamide
Melphalan
Oxaliplatin
Alkylating chemotherapy drug side effects
myelosuppression, nausea and vomiting, neurotoxicity, and other drug-specific effects
What do antimetabolic chemotherapy drugs do?
These chemotherapy drugs act in the S phase of the cell cycle. They are a class of drugs that interfere with DNA synthesis. Some interfere with enzymes needed for DNA synthesis. Others are similar to the normal DNA base pairs (i.e., purines and pyrimidines) and are falsely incorporated into the DNA. However, they do not function like normal DNA base pairs, which leads to breaks in the DNA strands. They do not allow cells to leave the S phase of the cell cycle.
Name some antimetabolic cancer drugs.
5-fluorouracil
Azacitidine
Capecitabine
Cytarabine
Fludarabine
Hydroxyurea
Leucovorin
Methotrexate
Name some side effects of antimetabolic cancer drugs.
myelosuppression, nausea and vomiting, mucositis, gastrointestinal toxicity, and other drug-specific effects.
What do antitumor chemotherapy drugs do?
This class of chemotherapy agents binds with the DNA inside the cell and stops the DNA and resultant RNA synthesis; therefore, these drugs have a nonspecific effect on the cell life cycle.
Name some antitumor chemotherapy drugs.
Bleomycin
Dactinomycin
Mitomycin
Mitoxantrone
anthracycline (subcategory of antitumor chemotherapy drugs) examples.
Daunorubicin
Doxorubicin
Epirubicin
Idarubicin
Name some antitumor chemotherapy drug side effects.
Dose-limiting side effects of antitumor antibiotics include cardiac toxicity and myelosuppression, as well as drug-specific side effects. Most of these drugs are considered irritants or vesicants. When infusing, irritants may produce inflammation or irritation, but vesicants, if extravasated into [Show Less]