Clinical Pharmacology and Targeted Therapies Flashcards
Mechanism of therapeutic action of radiation?
- Interacts with intracellular components
- Direct effects on DNA (25-75% of cells killed)
- Indirect: ionizing water creating free hydroxyl radicals that damage
- Lethal damage from accumulation of DSB in DNA
- Sub-lethal damage from limited DSB, SSB, cross-links or base damage
Factors affecting radiation sensitivity?
- Cellular
- Cell type
- Growth and replicative activity
- Cell cycle phase at the time of exposure
- Genetic mutations in oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes - Microenvironment
- Vascularity
- Oxygenation
- Necrosis - Underlying radiation hypersensitivity
- Ataxia telangiectasia
- Nijmegen breakage syndrome - Concomitant medications (radiation sensitizer; also increased toxicity)
- Doxorubicin, dactinomycin, gemcitabine
What is a Gray? How many rad in 1 gray?
- The amount of radiation depositing 1 joule of energy in 1 kilogram
- 1 Gy=100 rad
- 1 rad=0.01 Gy or 1 centiGray (cGy)
Typical total dose of radiation? How much per fraction? Why in fractions?
- 10.8 (e.g. Wilms)-65 (e.g. head and neck)
- 1.5-2 Gy fractions
- Fractionation balances tumour lethality and normal tissue injury and exploits the cell cycle of the cancer cell
Advantage of proton therapy?
Plateau dose distribution - deposits 90-100% of the dose at the point they stop in the tissue (Bragg peak); avoids an exit dose, may decrease normal tissue toxicity
Cranial irradiation for ALL includes _______ and _____.
- Posterior half of eye
- C2
Flank irradiation for Wilms Tumour includes ________.
Whole vertebral body
Irradiation for tumour spillage and peritoneal metastases includes _________.
The pelvis
Whole lung irradiation may not be able to avoid _______.
The thyroid gland
Spinal irradiation includes _______ and extends to _____.
- Thecal sac
- S3
What is MIBG? How does it work? What cancers is it used in?
- 131-Meta-iodobenylguanidine
- Delivers beta particles via neuroendocrine transporter
- Neuroblastoma and pheochromocytoma
What enzymes involved in catabolism of mercaptopurine or thiopurines in general have clinically significant polymorphisms?
- Thiopurine methyl transferase (TPMT) - catabolism of mercaptopurine - increased toxicity (neutropenia) from mercaptopurine. 1/300 people deficient
- NUDIT-15 - polymorphisms associated with thiopurine intolerance
What enzyme involved in irinotecan metabolism can have clinically significant polymorphisms?
- UDP-glucuronosyl-transerase 1A1 (Gilberts Disease)
- Polymorphism in promoter of UGT1A1 associated with increased neutropenia in adults receiving bolus doses of inrotecan
- Effect on diarrhea in protracted dosing in children is unclear
What super family of drug metabolizing enzymes are responsible for 70-80% of all phase 1 drug metabolism? Which enzyme specifically responsible for 50% of phase 1 drug metabolism?
- Cytochrome P450
- CYP3A
Drug interactions based on inhibition of CYP3A4 include _____ and _____.
Fluconazole and vincristine
Strategies to circumvent the blood brain barrier and examples of drugs?
- High-dose chemotherapy
- Methotrexate, cytarabine - Drugs with penetrate the BBB based on lipophilicity, molecular weight, degree of ionization, plasma concentration of free drug (protein binding)
- Nitrosoureas, thiotepa, topotecan - Disruption of the BBB
- Osmotic, radiation, vasoactive compounds - Regional chemotherapy
- Intra-carotid chemotherapy (cisplatin, methotrexate)
- Intrathecal injection (methotrexate, cytarabine)
- Intratumoral (carmustine)
- Convection enhanced delivery
CSF is a fixed volume that reaches ____ of adult volume by age ___ years. Why is IT chemo dose based on age?
- 80%, 3 years
- Study 1977, 1983: IT MTX dosing based on BSA, children <18 months had higher rate of isolated CNS relapse (being underdosed).
Volume of CSF is _____.
CSF is produced in the ______ and _____of ______ at a rate of _______.
Flow is via ______ synchronized with _____.
- 135-150ml
- Produced in choroid plexus and ependyma of ventricles at a rate of 0.35-0.4ml/min.
- Flow via pulsatile motion synchronized with cardiac systole.
Dosing of intrathecal MTX and Cytarabine?
MTX: <1 yo: 6mg 1 yo: 8mg 2 y o: 10 mg >/=3 y o : 12 mg
Cytarabine: <1 yo : 15mg 1 y o: 30 mg 2 y o: 50 mg >/=3 y o : 70mg
Definition of chemotherapy? Definition of cytotoxic therapy? Definition of molecularly targeted therapy?
- Chemotherapy: drugs administered to treat cancer
- Cytotoxic therapy: refers to ability to directly kill cancer cells through non-specific mechanisms of action such as induction of DNA damage and apoptosis that result in cell death. Is non-selective (both cancer and rapidly dividing normal cells are affected; usually myelosuppressive (except vincristine). Can target cytotoxic drugs to cell surface antigens using antibody drug conjugates
- Molecularly targeted therapy: refer to drugs that interfere with pathways critical to oncogenic phenotype of cancer cells. Greater selectivity for cancer cells alters the side effect profile (have class effect toxicities). Are non-myelosuppressive or minimally myelosuppressive.
What is the Goldie-Coldman hypothesis?
- Cancer cells mutate and become resistant to therapy at a rate that depends on the cancer’s inherent genetic instability
- The probability that a cancer contains a resistance clone is dependent on the mutation rate and size of the tumour
- Even when the tumour burden is low, there is likely to be at least one drug resistant clone
Three basic principles of chemotherapy for cancer in children?
- Combination therapy
- Adjuvant chemotherapy
- Dose intensity
Definition of adjuvant chemotherapy? 2 Examples?
- Administration of chemotherapy when disease burden is minimal but risk of recurrence is high
- -Continuation of systemic therapy after local control in localized cancer e.g. 1987 Osteosarcoma: improved 3 y EFS when chemo administered after complete resection of localized tumour (20% surgery alone vs. 65% surgery + chemo)
- -Maintenance therapy: ALL - MTX, 6MP; RMS: vinorelbine +cyclophosphamide (2019)
Definition of neoadjuvant chemotherapy? Advantages?
- Administration of systemic chemotherapy prior to definitive local control
- -Reduces tumour burden at primary site prior to definitive local therapy (surgery/radiation)
- -Controls disease not amenable to local therapy (metastases)
- -Assesses the sensitivity of the tumour to chemotherapy by measuring tumour response
What does dose intensity refer to? How is it calculated? Examples?
- Maximizing the dose rate of chemotherapy - highest possible dose at shortest tolerable interval
- Calculated by normalizing the dose rate (mg/m2/week) for a drug and comparing to the dose rate of a reference drug or prior regimen
- Eg:
- -Interval compression improved EFS in localized EWS - JCO 2012
- -Dose intensity of 4 drug induction in NBL correlates with response and survival (JCO 1991)
- -Children with ALL have improved survival with standard dose vs. half dose MTX and MP in maintenance (Cancer 1971)
Broad classification of chemotherapies and examples?
- Alkylating agents: Classical & Non-classical
- Antimetabolites: Folate, purine, pyrimidine
- Topoisomerase inhibitors: Anthracyclines, epipodophyllotoxins, camptothecins, dactinomycin
- Tubulin inhibitors: Vinca alkaloids, taxanes
- Miscellaneous: Corticosteroids, asparaginase, bleomycin
List the common toxicities of cytotoxic chemotherapy
- Myelosuppression
- Nausea and vomiting
- Alopecia
- Oro-intestinal mucositis
- Hepatotoxicity
- Allergic reactions
- Cutaneous reactions
- Local tissue damage
List some unique toxicities of specific cytotoxic chemotherapies:
- Anthracyclines: cardiotoxicity
- Cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide: hemorrhagic cystitis
- Vinca alkaloids, cisplatin: peripheral neuropathy
- Asparaginase: coagulopathy
- Cisplatin: ototoxicity
- Methotrexate, cisplatin: nephrotoxicity
- Methotrexate: leucoencephalopathy
Rescues for specific toxicities?
- Myelosuppression: Cytokines (G-CSF), Marrow/stemm cell re-infusion, individualized dosing
- Nausea/vomiting: antiemetics
- Hemorrhagic cystitis (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide): Mesna
- Nephrotoxicity (cisplatin): Hypertonic saaline (chloruresis(
- Cardiotoxicity (anthracyclines): Dexrazoxane
- Myelosuppression/mucositis (methotrexate): Leucovorin, carbodypeptidase
Which chemo can cause tissue necrosis if extravasates? What can be given locally in addition to a surgery consult?
- Doxorubicin
- Local injections of DMSO and more recently a form of dexrazoxane
What is the mechanism of action of alkylating agents?
Damage to the DNA template (alkyl adducts) induces apoptosis
What is the mechanism of action of bifunctional alkylators (e.g. nitrogen mustards)?
Damage results from formation of crosslinks (inter-strand, intra-strand, DNA-protein)
Temozolamide and dacarbazine mechanism of action?
Mutations (G-C to A-T) with methylation
The effects of alkylating agents are ____-independent or _____ independent. Their effect is related to ____.
- Schedule, cell cycle
- AUC
Alkylators have a ____ dose-response curve and ______ therapeutic index.
Steep (log-linear), narrow
Classical alkylating agents?
- Mechlorethamine, bendamustine, melphalan (nitrogen mustards)
- Ifosfamide, cyclophosphamide (oxazaphosphorines)
- Thiotepa (ethylenimines)
- Carmustine, lomustine (nitrosureas)
- Busulfan (alkyl sulfonate)
Non-classical alkylating agents?
- Dacarbazine, temozolamide (triazenes)
- Cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin (platinums)
Which alkylating agents are prodrugs?
-Cyclophosphamide, ifosfasmide, dacarbazine, temozolomide
_____ may ameliorate ototoxicity in some treatment regimens and patient groups.
Sodium thiosulfate
-Lancet Oncology 2017
What causes hemorrhagic cystitis related to cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide? How does MESNA work?
- Irritation of bladder lining by metabolite acrolein
- MESNA chelates acrolein in the bladder
Antimetabolites mechanism of action? Effects are ____ and ____ specific, and therefore ______-dependent.
What does methotrexate inhibit?
- Inhibition of synthesis of nucleic acids or their building blocks
- Incorporation into DNA or RNA, resulting in a defective product
- Inhibition of enzymes required for DNA or RNA synthesis
- Effects are cell-cycle and S-phase specific, and therefore schedule-dependent (effect related to prolonged exposure above threshold concentration)
- Methotrexate inhibits dihydrofolate reductase
Purine (adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine) analogs?
- Thiopurines: Mercaptopurine, thioguanine
- Deoxyadenosine analogs: Fludarabine, cladribine, flofarabine
- Deoxyguanosine analogs: Nelarabine (Ara-G)
Pyrimidine (cytosine, thymine, uracl, orotic acid) analogs?
Cytarabine (Ara-C), gemcitabine, fluorouracil