WEEK 14 Flashcards
Is the treatment of cancer by means of chemicals that kill cancer cells. These “anti-cancer” drugs destroy cancer cells by stopping their growth and reproduction.
CHEMOTHERAPY
- Also referred to as antineoplastic agents, are used to directly or indirectly inhibit the proliferation of rapidly growing cells, typically in the context of malignancy.
CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS
developed the concept of chemotherapy to treat microbial diseases;
Paul Ehrlich
came into prominence in the late 1930s.
Sulfa drugs
discovered the first antibiotic,
Alexander Fleming
first antibiotic
penicillin
CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS
Alkylating agents
Antimetabolites
Topoisomerase inhibitors
Mitotic inhibitor
Antitumor antibiotics
keep the cell from reproducing (making copies of itself) by damaging its DNA. These drugs work in all phases of the cell cycle and are used to treat many different cancers, including cancers of the lung, breast, and ovary as well as leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, multiple myeloma, and sarcoma.
Alkylating agents
interfere with DNA and RNA by acting as a substitute for the normal building blocks of RNA and DNA. When this happens, the DNA cannot make copies of itself, and a cell cannot reproduce. They are commonly used to treat leukemias, cancers of the breast, ovary, and the intestinal tract, as well as other types of cancer.
Antimetabolites
They interfere with enzymes called topoisomerases, which help separate the strands of DNA so they can be copied. (Enzymes are proteins that cause chemical reactions in living cells.)
Topoisomerase inhibitors
- (also called camptothecins)
Topoisomerase I
- (also called epipodophyllotoxins)
Topoisomerase II inhibitors
can increase the risk of a second cancer.
Topoisomerase II inhibitors
They are compounds derived from natural products, such as plants. They work by stopping cells from dividing to form new cells, but can damage cells in all phases by keeping enzymes from making proteins needed for cell reproduction.
Mitotic inhibitor
These drugs are not like the antibiotics used to treat infections. They work by changing the DNA inside cancer cells to keep them from growing and multiplying.
Antitumor antibiotics
Is the discovery of a new and potent class of antibacterial active chemotherapeutic agent. Some antibiotics are prepared synthetically, but most of them are prepared commercially by microbial biosynthesis. To be useful as a chemotherapeutic agent a substance must have selective toxicity for the parasite, which means a low toxicity for host cells and high toxicity for the parasite
ANTIBIOTIC
two or more drugs are given
combination chemotherapy
Chemotherapy commonly used in combination with
surgery, radiotherapy and biological treatment
Shrink a tumor before radiotherapy or surgery.
neo-adjuvant therapy.
Destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery or radiotherapy.
adjuvant therapy.
Chemotherapy can also be given intravenously by means of
catheters, ports and pumps.
are potentially hazardous to personnel and may have teratogenic and/or carcinogenic effects.
Antineoplastic drugs
Safety guidelines have been issued by
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
If the drug gets in your eyes
flush with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes while holding back your eyelids.
