Alkylating agents Flashcards
1
Q
Temozolomide is a _______ drug.
It ______ guanine residues in DNA following a DNA facilitated _______.
A
Monoalkylation
Methylates
Rearrangement
2
Q
Chlorambucil is more potent and efficacious than temozolomide. How does this work?
A
It crosslinks the two complementary strands of DNA rather than just alkylating one strand
3
Q
What is a main side effect of alkylating agents?
Why does this occur?
A
Myelosuppression - decrease in ability of bone marrow to produce blood cells including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets
Side effects are due to similarities in action of normal cells to cancer cells e.g bone marrow cells usually proliferate rapidly, as do cancer cells.
GI effects also occur as the cells in the GIT rapidly proliferate too
