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Pharmacology > Cancer > Flashcards

Cancer Flashcards

1
Q

What is a tumor?

A

An abnormal mass of cells resulting from inappropriate cell division.

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2
Q

What is a benign tumor?

A

It does not invade surrounding tissues or spread to other parts of the body.

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3
Q

What is a malignant tumor?

A

Cancer. It can invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body (metastasize).

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4
Q

How does cancer basically form? (3)

A
  1. Cells don’t go through apoptosis when they should. 2. Cells don’t differentiate as they should. 3. Abnormal cell division.
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5
Q

What is chemotherapy?

A

The use of chemical agents to treat disease.

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6
Q

What are 4 treatments for cancer?

A
  1. Cut it out. 2. Kill the cancer cells. 3. Manipulate cancer cell’s environment to kill cancer cell (immune system). 4. Differentiate the cancer cell.
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7
Q

What can kill cancer cells? (6)

A
  1. Radiation. 2. Chemotherapy. 3. Hypothermia. 4. Cellular immunotherapy. 5. investigational (gene therapy). 6. other drugs.
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8
Q

How does radiation work to treat cancer?

A

It uses a certain type of energy to damage cells.

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9
Q

What is brachytherapy?

A

Using an internal source of radiation.

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10
Q

What are two ways to kill the cancer cells?

A
  1. Target rapidly dividing cells. 2. target processes special in cancer cells.
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11
Q

How can you target rapidly diving cells?

A

Cytotoxic agents (cell-killing agents)

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12
Q

What is the problem with Cytotoxic agents?

A

They don’t discriminate between normal cells and cancer cells.

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13
Q

How do Anti-metabolites work? What kind of drug are they?

A

Block metabolism and, therefore, impact nucleic acid synthesis. They are cytotoxic drugs.

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14
Q

How do Microtubule Poisons or Mitotic inhibitors work? What kind of drug are they?

A

They disrupt cytoskeleton and impact cell divsion. They are cytotoxic drugs.

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15
Q

How do Genotoxins work? What kind of drug are they?

A

Damage DNA directly, or interfere with certain enzymes important for DNA replication. They are cytotoxic drugs.

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16
Q

What is an example of an Anti-metabolite? How does it work?

A

5-fluorouracil. They mimic nucleic acid building blocks. It interferes with the synthesis of nucleic acids.

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17
Q

What is an example of a Microtubule Poison or Mitotic inhibitor? How does it work?

A

Paclitaxel (Taxol). It keeps microtubles from shrinking. Thought to cause abnormal chromosome segregation.

18
Q

What do microtubules do?

A

They are part of cellular structure (cytoskeleton). Also acts as tracks for materials transport within cells. Part of mitotic spindle.

19
Q

What is an example of a Genotoxic agent? What’s interesting about its classification?

A

Doxorubicin. It’s actually an antibiotic since it’s derived from Strepomyces.

20
Q

How does Doxorubicin work? (4)

A
  1. Intercalates into DNA. 2. Inhibits DNA topoisomerase II. 3. Generates free radicals. 4. Interacts with cell membranes.
21
Q

What is a regimen?

A

A treatment plan. What drugs they’re going to get, when, and for how long.

22
Q

What are three more targeted ways to go after cancer cells more directly?

A
  1. Kinase inhibitors. 2. Monoclonal Antibodies. 3. Hormonal modulation.
23
Q

What do Kinase inhibitors do?

A

They target enzymes that are different in cancer cells. They Stop kinases from delivering phosphorous to other proteins.

24
Q

What is an example of a cancer driven by abnormal kinase activity?

A

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Have problem in Philadelphia chromosome.

25
Q

What is the result of the translocation on the Philadelphia chromosome?

A

The oncoprotein, BCR-ABL which causes abnormal kinase activity.

26
Q

What is Imatnib (Gleevec)?

A

Kinase inhibitor (-nib) of BCR-ABlL, KIT, PDGFRalpha.

27
Q

What are the issues of Imatnib (Gleevec)? (4)

A
  1. Side effects. 2. Cost. 3. Resistance. 4. Must take it forever.
28
Q

What is Trastuzumab (Herceptin)?

A

A Monoclonal Antibody. (-mab)

29
Q

How does Trastuzumab (Herceptin) work?

A

It targets HER2 and binds to it to stop its downstream signaling. Might also make own immune cells target cancer.

30
Q

What does HER2 do?

A

Downstream signaling causes cancer phenotypes.

31
Q

What is the Hercep Test?

A

It tests for if the tumor expresses the HER2 protein. The more brown, the more likely Monoclonal antibodies will work.

32
Q

What kind of cancers rely on hormones to grow?

A

Breast cancers rely on estrogen to grow.

33
Q

What does Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) do?

A

Acts as anti-estrogen in breast tumors, but as estrogen in certain tissues.

34
Q

What kind of drug is Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)?

A

It’s a Selective estrogen receptor modulator

35
Q

What is the tumor micro-environment?

A

Ex. blood vessels (or make new blood vessels-

angiogenesis).

36
Q

How does a tumor create new blood vessels?

A

Due to Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It signals to blood vessels to grow.

37
Q

How does Bevacizumab (Avastin)? What can it treat other than certain cancers?

A

It blocks VEGF so the tumor can not get blood vessels. It can treat macular degeneration.

38
Q

What kind of drug is Bevacizumab (Avastin)?

A

A Monoclonal Antibody. (-mab)

39
Q

What does Nivolumab (Opdivo) do?

A

Immune modulator - made to help immune system fight cancer better. Blocks PD1 production from tumor, so it can not bind to PDL1 on T-cells and cause no response from the T-cell.

40
Q

What kind of drug is Nivolumab (Opdivo)?

A

A Monoclonal Antibody. (-mab)

41
Q

What are the side effects of Nivolumab (Opdivo)?

A

Immune-related adverse events. Inappropriate T-cell activation.

42
Q

What is the risk of developing invasive cancer in the US for both sexes?

A

42% (males). 38% (females).

Pharmacology (20 decks)

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