The Molecular Pathology Of Cancer Treatments 07.11.23 Flashcards
Explain how conventional chemotherapy works
Vinblastin (used in conventional chemotherapy) is used and is an anti micro tubule agent
What drug inhibits topoisomerase II (in the cell replication process)
Etoposide
What are the 4 drugs which are used in conventional chemotherapy and effect the cell replication process?
Vinblastine
Etoposide
Ifosamide
Cisplatin
When is conventional chemotherapy best used?
Good for fast dividing tumours (germ cells tumours of testis, acute leukaemia, lymphoma, embryonal paediatric tumours, choriocarcinoma)
Is conventional chemotherapy selective to tumour cells?
No, usually hits normal cells which are dividing —> hair loss, diarrhoea and myelosuppresion
What is targeted chemotherapy?
Exploits some differences between cancer cells and normal cells to target drugs to the cancer cells
What are 2 benefits of target chemotherapy compared to generalised chemotherapy?
More effective
Less side effects
Name a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor
Cetuximab
What does cetuximab bind to?
Extracellular domain of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)
If a medication is ‘chimeric’ what does it mean?
There is protein engineering of animal and human contents to form this medication.
Name a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor 2: Her-2
Herceptin
How does herceptin medication work?
It removed Her-2 proteins from plasma membrane into the cell and then destroyed by endocytosis, therefore less activation of growth factor of dna leading to replication
How do her-2 protein receptors cause dna replication?
They dimerise which activated the genetic duplication
Is herceptin a monoclonal antibody?
Yes
The HER-2 gene is amplified in 20-30% of which type of cancer?
Breast cancers
