Chemotherapy

Question 1

what are the 5 types of chemotherapy?

Answer 1

Curative Chemotherapy

Maintenance Chemotherapy

Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Palliative Chemotherapy

Question 2

why is the therapeutic window of cancer cells small?

Answer 2

selective toxicity is small

Question 3

what are the druggable targets of cancer cells?

Answer 3

abnormal growth (uncontrolled rapid division independent of growth signals), DNA instability, replication immortalisation, invasion and metastasis, evasion of apoptosis

Question 4

give an example of a cell cycle specific drug

Answer 4

5-fluoruracil

Question 5

how is the population of cancer cells affected by cell cycle specific drugs?

Answer 5

exponential decrease

Question 6

how is the population of cancer cells affected by non cell cycle specific drugs?

Answer 6

linear decrease

Question 7

give an example of a non cell cycle specific drugs

Answer 7

cyclophosphamide

Question 8

give 8 categories of anti cancer drugs

Answer 8

alkylating agents
anti-metabolites
microtubule inhibitors
DNA-binding agents (anthracyclines)
topoisomerase inhibitors
molecular targeted drugs
selective oestrogen inhibitors
biological response modifiers

Question 9

give an example of an alkylating agent

Answer 9

cyclophosphamide
(nitrogen mustard)

Question 10

explain the action of alkylating agents

Answer 10

• Transfer either an ethyl or methyl group to DNA, usually to guanine via a covalent bond
  
  • This cause intrastrand cross links between the methyled bases leading to DNA damage, the loss of normal transcription and therefore translation which leads to apoptosis
    It makes the already instable DNA more instable (instability of the DNA is also why tumour cells are good targets for methylation)

Question 11

what it the active form of cyclo phosphamide

Answer 11

converted in the liver by CYP540 into Phosphamide mustard its active form