CA Pharm Flashcards
Five main classes of cancer drugs
alkylating agents, antimetabolites, natural products, antibodies, miscellaneous
Oncogene
gene that positively influences tumor growth
Tumor suppressor
gene that negatively influences tumor growth
Activation of oncogenes overrides which check point?
G1 arrest
Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes overrides which check point?
G2 arrest
Treatment process for primary chemotherapy
chemo! for advanced CA and metastatic disease
Goals of primary chemotherapy
relieve tumor-related symptoms, improve quality of life, prolong time to tumor progression
CAs curable by primary chemotherapy
Hodgkin’s and NHL, Burkitt’s lymphoma, Wilms tumor, embyonal rhabodmyosarcoma, choriocarcinoma, germ cell cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment process
chemo -> surgery -> chemo
Goal of neoadjuvant chemo
reduce tumor size to make resection easier and more effective, follow up with chemo to prevent relapse
Adjuvant chemotherapy treatment process
surgery -> chemo
Goal of adjuvant chemo
reduce incidence of local and systemic recurrence, improve survival of patients
Growth fraction definition
ratio of proliferating to G0 cells
Growth fraction can determine what about a tissue?
responsiveness to chemotherapy; higher growth fraction, more curable
Cell types with high growth fraction
bone marrow, GI tract, hair follicles, sperm-forming cells
How can growth fraction of solid tumors be increased?
reducing tumor burden via surgery or radiation
Main challenge in achieving therapeutic balance during treatment
therapeutic without being too toxic
Pharmacokinetics of antineoplastic therapy
first-order, given dose of a drug destroys a constant fraction of cells rather than an absolute number
High-dose intermittent therapy allows what for normal tissues
recovery
Common routes of chemo administration
IV and PO
Why should alternative drug administration routes be considered for some patients?
can reduce systemic toxicity and increase drug delivery
Pharmacologic sanctuaries
regions where tumor cells are less susceptible to antineoplastic drugs (CNS)
Alternative chemo admin routes
intracavity, intrathecal, intraventricular, intraarterial, topical, isolated limb perfusion
Advantages of combination chemotherapy
provides maximal cell killing, effective against a broader range of cell lines in heterogenous tumors, may delay or prevent development of drug-resistant tumors
Primary chemotherapeutic drug resistance
occurs in the absence of prior exposure, often due to the genetic instability of CA and p53 mutations
Acquired chemo drug resistance
develops in response to exposure to a given drug, due to genetic change
Examples of acquired drug resistance
decreased drug transport into cells, reduced drug affinity due to mutations in target, increased expression of enzyme that inactivates drug, increased expression of DNA repair enzymes for drugs that damage DNA
P-glycoprotein is present in which tissues?
tissues with barrier functions such as kidney, liver, GI tract; blood-brain barrier and placental-blood barrier
Role of PGP
pumps drug out of a cell, may indicate inherent or primary resistance or acquired resistance
Rapidly proliferating tissues that demonstrate major sites of toxicity
bone marrow, GI tract, hair follicles, oral mucosa, sperm forming cells
How can adverse drug effects be minimized?
choosing a route that minimizes systemic toxicity and providing pharmacologic agents that can decrease adverse effects
Hematopoietic agents can decrease what adverse effects?
neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia
Serotonin receptor antagonists can decrease what adverse effects?
emetegoenicity
Bisphosphonates can delay what complications?
skeletal complications
Five major types of alkylating agents
nitrogen mustards, nitrosoureas, alkyl sulfonates, methylhydrazine derivatives, triazines **also platinum compounds
What type of alkylating agent is cyclophosphamide?
nitrogen mustard
What type of alkylating agent is carmustine?
nitrosourea
What type of alkylating agent is busulfan?
alkyl sulfonates
What type of alkylating agent is procarbazine?
methylhydrazine derivative
What type of alkylating agent is dacarbazine?
tirazines
What type of alkylating agent is cisplatin?
platinum compounds
Most widely used alkylating agent
cyclophosphamide
MOA of alkylating agents
form covalent linkages within DNA, prevents the unwinding of DNA so cells cannot make RNA and DNA; non cell cycle specific
What enzyme activates cyclophosphamide?
CYP2B