Chapter 20: Cancer and Drug Therapy Flashcards
Cancer
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A group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal (or dysfunctional) cells.
Monoclonal
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Originating from a single cell.
Drivers of Cancer
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Genetic alterations that promote cancer progression.
Oncogene
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A gene that promotes cancer formation.
Proto-oncogene
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A gene that codes for growth factors or their receptors.
Tumor Suppressor Gene
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A gene that turns off or downregulates the proliferation of cancer cells.
Apoptosis
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Programmed cell death.
Tumor Cell Proliferation
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The exponential rate of growth early on in tumor development.
Tumor Burden
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The number of cancer cells in a tumor or the size of the tumor tissue.
Dose-Dense Chemotherapy
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The practice of administering chemotherapy doses more frequently than in standard treatment to allow fewer cells to regrow between doses.
Cell Kill Hypothesis
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Th predominant hypothesis applied in cancer treatment; presumes that each cycle of chemotherapy kills a certain percentage of cancer cells.
Localized
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Confined to one location in the body.
Metastasis
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The spreading of a tumor from its primary site to other parts of the body.
Resected
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Removed surgically.
Margin
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The area of normal tissues around the site of a tumor.
Negative Margin
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An absence of tumor cells bordering the site of a tumor removal.
Radiation Therapy
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The use of external beam radiation delivered from a machine outside the body to the site of a tumor.
Adjuvant Radiation Therapy
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Radiation therapy used in conjunction with surgery to “clean up” areas of residual tumor.
Immunotherapy
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A type of cancer treatment that stimulates the immune system to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
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An agent used in therapies to prevent cancer cells from “turning off” immune cells.
Chemotherapy
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The administration of drugs to treat cancer by killing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
Primary Chemotherapy
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The initial treatment of cancer with chemotherapy with curative intent.
Curative
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An act or treatment administered with the intent to cure an illness.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy used to shrink a tumor so it can be safely and completely removed with surgery.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy
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The treatment of residual cancer cells after removal or reduction of the tumor by surgery.
Palliative Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy given for cancer that is not curable.
Cytotoxic Drug
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A drug that interrupts the normal process of cell function or proliferation.
Cell Cycle
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The process by which both normal cells and cancer cells divide.
Cell Cycle-Specific Drug
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A drug that exerts its effects on rapidly dividing cancer cells.
Bone Marrow Suppression
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A decrease in production of blood cells and increased risks of infections and bleeding.
Alopecia
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Hair loss
Mucositis
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Inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes.
Leucovorin
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A by-product of dihydrofolate reductase that helps prevent harmful effects of certain chemotherapy drugs; also known as Folinic Acid.
Leucovorin Rescue
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The administration of leucovorin to patients who have received high-dose methotrexate; this action rescues normal cells from leucovorin shortage and allows them to resume their normal proliferation.
Combination Chemotherapy
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A regimen of two or more chemotherapy drugs combined to reduce a cancer’s potential resistance to treatment; the agents should have proven efficacy, nonoverlapping toxicities, and different mechanism of action.
Synergistic Effect
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The result of a drug combination that elicits an enhanced response because the agents work together to amplify the individual effects of each.
Alkylating Agents
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A member of a class of cytotoxic drugs that bind to and damage DNA during cell division, preventing cell replication.
Peripheral Neuropathy
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Extremely painful damage to the peripheral nervous system, especially affecting the hands and feet.
Ototoxicity
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The ability to damage the organs of hearing.
Mutagenic
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Having the ability to cause changes in genetic material.
Secondary Cancers
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An additional cancer in conjunction with the first cancer the patient was trying to cure.
Antimetabolite
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A member of a class of drugs that work during the synthesis phase of the cell cycle.
Nucleotide
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The basic structural component of DNA and RNA.
Methotrexate
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A drug used to treat leukemia, bone cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma.
Hand-Foot Syndrome
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A painful sloughing peeling of the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; also known as Palmar-Plantar Erythema.
Conjunctivitis
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Inflammation of mucous membranes surrounding the eye; also known as pink eye.
Topoisomerase I Enzyme
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An enzyme that causes single-strand DNA breaks.
Topoisomerase II Enzyme
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An enzyme that causes double-strand DNA breaks.
Topoisomerase I Inhibitor
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A member of the subset of drugs that inhibit topoisomerase I enzymes.
Topoisomerase II Inhibitor
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A member of a subset of drugs that inhibits topoisomerase II enzymes.
R-CHOP
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An acronym for a combination chemotherapy regimen: Rituximab (Rituxan), Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), Hydroxydaunorubicin (better known as doxorubicin), Oncovin (brand name Vincristine), and Prednisone.
Liposomal Product
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A drug prepared in a liquid formulation.
Cardiac Toxicity
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The ability to cause heart damage.
Threshold Dose
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The lifetime cumulative dose limit for a drug.
Extravasation
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An infusion leak under the skin during administration.
Vesicant
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A drug that can cause an extravasation injury.
Microtubule
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A part of a cell that helps maintain its structure and is critical to mitosis.
Antimicrotubule Agent
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A drug that interferes with the formation and function of microtubule.
Taxane
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A member of a class of antimicrotubule drugs derived from the bark and needles of yew trees.
Vinca Alkaloid
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A member of a class of antimicrotubule drugs derived from periwinkle plants.
Ileus
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A condition in which gastrointestinal motility is severely reduced.
Asparagine
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An amino acid that is needed for leukemia cells to proliferate.
Pulmonary Fibrosis
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A type of lung toxicity.
Antiestrogen
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Antiandrogen
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Gynecomastia
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