CANCER TREATMENT PHARM Flashcards
what type of drug is dacarbazine?
an alkylating agent
what is the mechanism of dacarbazine?
They disrupt the structure of DNA by adding an alkyl group to the guanine base and can affect all phases of the cell cycle.
what type of drug is cyclophosphamide?
an alkylating agent/ nitrogen mustard
what is the moa of cyclophosphamide?
they work by either attaching alkyl groups to DNA bases, cross-lining DNA or inducing the mispairing of nucleotides
what are some side effects of cyclophosphamide?
sterility, birth defects mutations and cancer
what type of drug is rituximab?
a monoclonal antibody
what is rituximabs moa?
it binds to the CD20 antigen on B lymphocytes and mediates cell lysis
what type of drug is doxorubicin?
A cytotoxic anthracycline antibiotic
anti tumour antibiotic
what is doxorubicins moa?
it complexes with DNA and inhibits topoisomerase 2 activity, preventing religation
what type of drug is Paclitaxel?
a microtubule inhibitor
what is paclitaxals moa?
binds to the beta subunit of tubulin, causing hyper-stabilization of the microtubule. This prevents the cell from undergoing disassembly and prevents reorganisation which affects cell function
what drug is tamoxifen?
a selective estrogen receptor modulator
what is tamoxifens moa?
binds to the estrogen receptor, causing a conformational change and altering the expression of estrogen dependant genes. This prolonged binding also blocks estradiol uprake and decreases oestrogen response.
whar type of drug is 5-fluorouracil?
an antimetabolite
what is 5-fluorouracils moa?
inhibition of thymidylate formation from uracil, inhibiting DNA and RNA synthesis and causing cell death
what type of drug is etoposide?
a DNA topoisomerase 2 inhibitor
what is etoposides moa?
inhibition of DNA topoisomerase 2 and therefore inhibiting DNA re-ligation. this causes critical errors in DNA synthesis and leads to apoptosis
which phases of the cycle does etoposide affect?
mainly S and G2
what type of drug is vinblastine?
a microtubule inhibitor
what is vinblastines moa?
Vinblastine causes the crystallisation of the microtubules at the mitotic spindle, leading to inhibition of mitosis at metaphase = mitotic arrest = cell death
give an example of a vinca alkaloid?
vinblastine
what are the 2 classes of microtubule inhibitors?
vinca alkaloids and taxanes
what drug is Imatinib?
a tyrosine kinase inhibitor
what is the moa of Imatinib?
it targets the Bcr-ABL tyrosine kinase, inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis
what drug is tretinoin?
a vitamin A analogue
whats the moa of tretinoin?
not currently known but it binds to retinoic acid receptors which have been associated with the development of acute promyelocytic leukaemia
