Sketchy Pharm: Rituximab, Cetuximab, Bevacizumab, Alemtuzumab, Trastuzumab Flashcards
What kind of antibody is rituximab?
Chimeric
(You know this from the -ximab suffix, but Sketchy also has the guy in the coronation RITUal having a chimera on his cloak.)
What surface receptor does rituximab bind?
CD20
(This is symbolized by the archers next to the RITUal –archers being Sketchy’s symbol for B cells –and they have two X’s on their tunics to help you remember 20.)
For what diseases is rituximab used?
- T-cell and B-cell malignancies (represented by the quilt with the archers and knights)
- Autoimmune disorders caused or aggravated by B cells (like the RA lamps above the ritual)
What are side effects of rituximab?
- Immunosuppression with repeated use (pope with cane)
- PML (guy with white laurels)
- Pruritus, swelling, headache, and fever soon after IV administration (swollen cherub with red skin swinging on ivy)
- Serum sickness one week after use (coronated guy with red skin; the murderer made the poison slow-onset to get away)
How can the IV reactions to rituximab be treated?
NSAIDs and antihistamines
Serum sickness is treatable with ______________.
steroids
What receptor does cetuximab target?
EGFR
(This symbol is a little obtuse: the elephant’s TUsks should remind you of ceTUximab, and the elephant’s saddle has GiRaFfEs on it.)
What cancers can be treated with cetuximab?
Colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinoma
These make sense because they’re both epithelial cancers.
Just to help tie things together, what small molecule inhibitor targets the same pathway as cetuximab?
Erlotinib (remember GEoFfRey –the EaRL Of TINIB?)
What are side effects of cetuximab?
- Pruritus, swelling, headache, and fever soon after IV administration (swollen cherub with red skin swinging on ivy)
- Acneiform rash (like the red spots on the giraffes –also the same effect as erlotinib)
- Serum sickness (the elephant also drank the poisoned chalice)
Bevacizumab targets _____________.
VEGF (like the BEVerage lady poisoning the red punch next to chopped VEGetables)
What diseases are treatable with bevacizumab?
- Metastatic cancers
* Wet macular degeneration (like the retina platter that the waitress is bringing the poisoned punch on)
What are side effects of bevacizumb?
- Bleeding (like the punch spilled on the servants’ aprons) –because of this, bevacizumab is contraindicated in those who’ve recently had surgery
- Thromboembolic events (like the thrombus floating in the poisoned punch)
- Intestinal perforation (like the haustra-shaped vegetable bag that split open on the floor beneath the table)
- Pruritus, swelling, headache, and fever soon after IV administration (swollen cherub with red skin swinging on ivy)
Alemtuzumab targets ____________.
the CD52 receptor on T cells and B cells (like the guy begging for ALMs from the archer and knight)
What does trastuzumab target?
The HER2/neu tyrosine kinase
Think of the woman working on the TrASTuzumab TApeSTry with HER 2 NEWborns.