Combined Treatments Flashcards
How does irinotecan (Camptosar) work?
- Topoisomerase I inhibitor
- Synthetic analog of camptothecin (CPT), a natural product from the bark and stem of the Camptotheca plant
- It stabilizes topoisomerase-DNA cleavable complex after cutting DNA
- This blocks DNA from being re-ligated
How does cetuximab (Erbitux) work?
- Monoclonal Ab against EGFR
- Inhibits EGFR dimerization
- Strong synergy with radiation
How does bevacizumab (Avastin) work?
- Humanized monoclonal Ab against VEGF ligand, not VEGF receptor
- Blocks VEGF-A (angiogenesis)
- Tumor stroma-directed therapy!
How does Bortezomib (Velcade) work?
- N-protected dipeptide
- It is a 26S proteasome inhibitor
- By blocking it, it prevents the degradation of pro-apoptotic factors → apoptosis
- Approved for multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma
Mnemonic: Bortezomib → bore (proteasome)
How does Sirolimus (Rapamycin) work?
- It is an immunosuppressant
- Binds to FK-binding protein 12 (FKBP12)
- Inhibits the target of Rapamycin (mTOR pathway)
Mnemonic: Sirlimus fucks (FKBP12)
How does Rapamycin work?
mTOR/FRAP inhibitor
When do we use FLT-3 inhibitors and why?
- Activating mutations in FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) → 30% pts with AML
- FLT3 inhibitors (usually TKIs) block FLT3 activity
What are some examples of nitrogen mustards and how do they work?
- Cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, etc
- Crosslink DNA → DNA replication & transcription inhibited → cell cycle arrest, apoptosis
What is the role of Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitors?
They block the COX-2 enzyme, which is produced in response to inflammation, and by precancerous and cancerous cells.
What is the role of COX-2?
- Mediate synthesis of eicosanoids (like prostaglandins) from arachidonic acid
- COX-2 products are inflammatory
- It is over-expressed in tumors
- It is normally not produced in healthy tissues
How does erlotinib (Tarceva) work?
- Small-molecule EGFR TKI
- Reversibly binds to the ATP binding site of the receptor
- Prevents downstream signaling
How does gemcitabine work?
- It is an anti-metabolite, analog of deoxycytidine
— Is incorporated into DNA, inhibiting further DNA synthesis - Inhibits ribonucleotide reductase (radiosensitization), causing depletion of deoxynucleotide triphosphates necessary for DNA synthesis
Mnemonic: Used for pancreatic cancer (pancreas is a major player in metabolism)
How does etoposide work?
Poisons Topoisomerase II
Which cellular feature is responsible for resistance to melphalan?
Presence of Glutathione
How does melphalan work?
Alkylating agent
How does methotrexate work?
- Anti-metabolite
- Competitive inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase
- Decreased cellular reduced folate levels
- Decreased synthesis of purines (A,G)
How does chlorambucil work?
- DNA alkylation
How does imatinib (Gleevec) work?
- It’s a TKI
- Blocks the ATP-binding site of the p210 tyrosine kinase domain of the BCR-ABL fusion protein in CML
- Most specific for BCR-ABL, but has activity against c-kit, and PDGF-R as well
How does doxorubicin (adriamycin) work?
- Anthracycline
- MOA1: Blocks Topoisomerase II
- MOA2: Intercalates within DNA
- Inhibits both DNA and RNA synthesis
- Notorious for its cardiotoxicity
doxorubicin → dual actions (RNA/DNA, MOA1/2)
What’s the MOA of Vincristine and Vinblastine?
- Binds tubulin dimers
- Inhibits microtubule assembly
What’s the MOA of cisplatin?
- Alkylates DNA (similar to alkylating agents)
- Forms inter- and intra-strand DNA strand crosslinks
- Cell cycle non-specific
- Inhibits DNA synthesis
What is the MOA of enzalutamide (Xtandi)?
Androgen receptor antagonist
What’s the MOA of abiraterone (Zytiga)?
- Inhibits 17 α-hydroxylase/C17,20 lyase (CYP17A1)
- It is an enzyme expressed in testicular, adrenal, and prostatic tumor tissues
What’s the MOA of Leuprolide (Eligard)?
It’s an Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist
What’s the MOA of denosumab (Xgeva, Prolia)?
- Inhibits the ligand (RANKL) for osteoprotegerin
- Inhibits osteoclast differentiation and activation
How does Ra-223 work?
- It is a bone-seeking (similar to calcium)
- 95% α -particle emitter (5% β & γ)
- α-particles have short range, delivering high doses of radiation to osteogenic cells and very low doses to surrounding healthy tissue
What’s the MOA of Ipilimumab (Yervoy)?
It binds to CTLA-4
What’s the mnemonic for immune checkpoint inhibitors and their targets?
- NP, ADd IT
– PD-1: Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab
– PD-L1: Atezolizumab, durvalumab
– CTLA-4: Ipilimumab, Tremelimumab
What’s the MOA of crizotinib (Xalkori)?
- Small molecule TKI (tinib)
- Inhibits ALK and ROS1 kinases
- Targets the ALK-EML4 fusion gene, and ROS-1 mutated cancers
- Used for NSCLCs, 5% of which have EML4-ALK translocations
What’s the incidence of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI)?
- AKI in 20-30% of patients within 3-5 days
- More common w/ cisplatin delivered q3 weeks at 100 mg/m2 compared to weekly at 40 mg/m2
How does cisplatin cause AKI?
- Kidney injury is related to mitochondrial density and membrane potential
- Proximal tubules have the highest density and are most sensitive to cisplatin
- It can also form superoxide anions in the glomerulus and proximal tubules, but NOT distal tubules
Mnemonic: Cisplatin damages proximal tubules
Which lab abnormality correlates with AKI?
Serum Cr > 1.5 x baseline
How does treatment with an anti-angiogenic agent increase tumor sensitivity to radiation?
There is a transient normalization of tumor vasculature, which results in increased perfusion and increased O2 delivery, leading to a decrease in hypoxia-induced radioresistance.
Has misonidazole shown any benefit when given together with radiation?
- No
- Multiple RTOG trials using misonidazole have failed to show a benefit.
- Only Nimorazole has demonstrated a benefit in a single DAHANCA trial
Why is nimorazole used instead of other drugs (misonidazole, etanidazole, etc) in its class?
- It has acceptable toxicity (peripheral neuropathy)
- But it is less effective than the other drugs
How do the nitroimidazoles work?
They have a NO2 group, which has a longer diffusion distance than O2 and can lead to hypoxic radiosensitization.
What was the effect of hypoxic cell radiosensitizers on LRC and OS according to the Overgaard meta-analysis?
They increased both LRC and OS compared to RT alone.
Why can radiosensitizers be advantageous for SBRT?
Reoxygenation does not occur as readily during SBRT. Thus, hypoxic cell radiosensitizers can be especially helpful.
Where inside a tumor do cancer stem cells reside?
Hypoxic regions
What is the MOA of radiation protector/mitigator flagellin?
- Flagellin activates NF-kB
- NF-kB upregulates anti-apoptotic genes
– Cytokines and growth factors
– Antioxidant scavengers (MnSOD)
How does Hsp90 inhibition → Radiosensitization?
- Tumor cells exist in very stressful environments, which include acute and chronic hypoxia, increased levels of DNA damage, high levels of ROS, and protein complex imbalances.
- Their survival is aided by efficient cellular stress response machinery, such as heat shock protein (Hsp90).
- Inhibition of Hsp90 can make a tumor more radiosensitive.
How does nelfinavir, an HIV protease inhibitor, cause radiosensitization?
- Enhances the effect of ionizing radiation on endothelial cells
- Downregulates VEGF expression in tumor cells via hypoxia-inducible factor 1α
- Inhibits PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway
- Activates the unfolded protein response
How does ADT act in concert with radiation?
It represses an androgen receptor gene expression program governing DNA repair and inhibits the repair of ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage
How does Palifermin decrease mucositis after radiation?
Palifermin is a human recombinant keratinocyte growth factor that stimulates the proliferation of GI tract mucosal cells, decreasing the severity of side effects.
Mnemonic: Palifirmin → firms up mucosa using keratin
What is a small molecule drug?
A drug that can enter cells easily because it has a low molecular weight. Once inside the cells, it can affect other molecules, such as proteins, and may cause cancer cells to die. This is different from drugs that have a large molecular weight, which keeps them from getting inside cells easily. Many targeted therapies are small-molecule drugs.
How do proteasomes work?
They break down proteins targeted for elimination (ubiquitination).
How does capecitabine (Xeloda) work?
- It’s a prodrug of 5-FU taken orally
How does 5-FU work?
- Anti-metabolite
- Inhibits thymidylate synthase
- Impairs DNA, rRNA, and mRNA synthesis
How does Sorafenib work?
- Small molecule, a “dirty” multi-kinase inhibitor
- Approved for use in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and RI-resistant thyroid carcinoma
How does nivolumab (Opdivo) work?
- Human IgG4 monoclonal antibody
- Binds to programmed death (PD-1) receptor, preventing it from binding to PD-L1 and 2.