Chapter 20: Cancer and Drug Therapy Flashcards
Cancer (KHR)
A group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal (or dysfunctional) cells.
Monoclonal (KHR)
Originating from a single cell.
Drivers of cancer (KHR)
Genetic alterations that promote cancer progression.
Oncogene (KHR)
A gene that promotes cancer formation.
Proto-oncogene (KHR)
A gene that codes for growth factors or their receptors.
Tumor suppressor gene (KHR)
A gene that turns off or downregulates the proliferation of cancer cells.
Apoptosis (KHR)
Programmed cell death.
Tumor cell proliferation (KHR)
The exponential rate of growth early on in tumor development.
Tumor burden (KHR)
The number of cancer cells in a tumor or the size of the tumor tissue.
Dose-dense chemotherapy (KHR)
The practice of administering chemotherapy doses more frequently than in standard treatment to allow fewer cells to regrow between doses.
Cell kill hypothesis (KHR)
The predominant hypothesis applied in cancer treatment; presumes that each cycle of chemotherapy kills a certain percentage of cancer cells.
Localized (KHR)
Confined to one location in the body.
Metastasis (KHR)
The spreading of a tumor from its primary site to other parts of the body.
Resected (KHR)
Removed surgically.
Margin (KHR)
The area of normal tissue around the site of a tumor.
Negative margin (KHR)
An absence of tumor cells bordering the site of a tumor removal.
Radiation therapy (KHR)
The use of external beam radiation delivered from a machine outside the body to the site of a tumor.
Adjuvant radiation therapy (KHR)
Radiation therapy used in conjunction with surgery to “clean up” areas of residual tumor.
Immunotherapy (KHR)
A type of cancer treatment that stimulates the immune system to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (KHR)
An agent used in therapies to prevent cancer cells from “turning off” immune cells.
Chemotherapy (KHR)
The administration of drugs to treat cancer by killing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
Primary chemotherapy (KHR)
The initial treatment of cancer with chemotherapy with curative intent.
Curative (KHR)
An act or treatment administered with the intent to cure an illness.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (KHR)
Chemotherapy used to skrink a tumor so it can be safely and completely removed with surgery.
Adjuvant chemotherapy (KHR)
The treatment of residual cancer cells after removal or reduction of the tumor by surgery.
Palliative chemotherapy (KHR)
Chemotherapy given for cancer that is not curable.
Cytotoxic drug (KHR)
A drug that interrupts the normal process of cell function or proliferation.
Cell cycle (KHR)
The process by which both normal cells and cancer cells divide.
Cell cycle-specific drug (KHR)
A drug that exerts its effects on rapidly dividing cancer cells.
Bone marrow suppression (KHR)
A decrease in production of blood cells and increased risks of infections and bleeding.
Alopecia (KHR)
Hair loss.
Mucositis (KHR)
Inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes.
Combination chemotherapy (KHR)
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 mechanisms of action.
Synergistic effect (KHR)
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 (KHR)
A member of a class of cytotoxic drugs that bind to and damage DNA during cell division, preventing cell replication.
Peripheral neuropathy (KHR)
Extremely painful damage to the peripheral nervous system, especially affecting the hands and feet.
Ototoxicity (KHR)
The ability to damage the organs of hearing; damage to the nerves that affect hearing.
Mutagenic (KHR)
Having the ability to cause changes in genetic material.
Secondary cancers (KHR)
An additional cancer in conjunction with the first cancer the patient was trying to cure.
Antimetabolite (KHR)
A member of a class of drugs that work during the synthesis phase of the cell cycle.
Nucleotide (KHR)
The basic structural component of DNA and RNA.
Intrathecal (IT) administration (KHR)
The administration of drugs directly into the CNS via a lumbar puncture or spinal tap.
Hand-foot syndrome (KHR)
A painful sloughing and peeling of the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; AKA palmar-plantar erythema.
Conjunctivitis (KHR)
Inflammation of the mucous membranes surrounding the eye; AKA pink eye.
Topoisomerase I enzyme (KHR)
An enzyme that causes single-strand DNA breaks.
Topoisomerase II enzyme (KHR)
An enzyme that causes double-strand DNA breaks.
Anthracycline (KHR)
A member of a large category of topoisomerase II inhibitors; AKA DNA intercalating agent.
R-CHOP (KHR)
An acronym for a combination of chemotherapy regimen: Rituximab (Rituxan), Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), Hydroxydaunorubicin (better known as doxorubicin), Oncovin (brand name of vincristine), and Prednisone.
Liposomal product (KHR)
A drug prepared in a lipid formulation.
Cardiac toxicity (KHR)
The ability to cause heart damage.
Threshold dose (KHR)
The lifetime cumulative dose limit for a drug.
Extravasation (KHR)
An infusion leak under the skin during administration.
Vesicant (KHR)
A drug that can cause an extravasation injury.
Microtubule (KHR)
A part of a cell that helps maintain its structure and is critical to mitosis.
Antimicrotubule agent (KHR)
A drug that interferes with the formation and function of microtubules.
Taxane (KHR)
A member of a class of antimicrotubule drugs derived from the bark and needles of yew trees.
Vinca alkaloid (KHR)
A member of a class of antimicrotubule drugs derived from periwinkle plants.
Ileus (KHR)
A condition in which gastrointestinal motility is severely reduced.
Asparagine (KHR)
An amino acid that is needed for leukemia cells to proliferate.
Pulmonary fibrosis (KHR)
A type of lung toxicity.
Antiestrogen (KHR)
A member of a class of drugs commonly used to treat breast cancer.
Aromatase inhibitor (KHR)
A member of a class of drugs that block the effects of estrogen by preventing synthesis of estrogen in the body.
Antiandrogen (KHR)
A member of a class of drugs that block the activity of testosterone at the receptor level.
Gynecomastia (KHR)
An enlargement of the breasts.
Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) / (KHR)
A hormone that stimulates the production of reproductive hormones in all genders; AKA gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (KHR)
A member of a drug class that targets CDK-4 and CDK-6, enzymes important to cell division.
Targeted anticancer therapy (KHR)
A drug therapy directed at specific molecular entities required for tumor cell development, proliferation, and growth.
Angiogenesis inhibitor (KHR)
A drug that prevents tumor cells from building blood vessels that would supply the tumor with vital nutrients.
Monoclonal antibody (KHR)
An antibody produced in a laboratory from an isolated specific lymphocyte that produces a pure antibody against a known, specific antigen.
Signal transduction inhibitor (KHR)
A member of a drug class designed to target tumor cell receptors.
Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor (KHR)
A member of a drug class that blocks the enzyme BTK, a crucial part of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway.
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) / (KHR)
A protein receptor that functions as an immune checkpoint with T cells.
Cancer immunity cycle (KHR)
A series of steps that the immune system performs to elicit an anticancer immune response and cancer cell death.
Hazardous material (hazmat) / (KHR)
A material that can be dangerous to life or the environment; usually requires a special procedure for cleanup.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) / (KHR)
Equipment that must be worn at all times when handling hazardous drugs.
Spill kit (KHR)
A kit used in the cleanup of hazardous drug spills; must be available where hazardous drugs are prepared, administered, or transported.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) / (KHR)
The guide for a drug cleanup process.
