Gastrointestinal Cancer Drug Therapy Flashcards
Anal CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
Uncommon; 4% of lower alimentary tract tumor.
Usually curable.
Anal CANCER DRUGS
Radiation therapy alone may lead to a 5-year survival rate in excess of 70%. Radiation + Cisplatin, 5-FU, Mitomycin leads to improved outcomes.
Colorectal CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
3rd most common – 2nd most deadly cancer in US.
20% of patients have metastases at diagnosis.
Colorectal CANCER DRUGS
5-FU + leucovorin + oxaplatin = FOLFOX
irinotecan instead of oxaplatin = FOLFIRI.
Capecitabine may be used in place of 5-FU.
“Targeted” agents: bevacizumab or cetuximab appear to improve outcomes, except in patients with KRAS mutations.
Esophageal CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
~18,000 cases in US pa. Once symptomatic (usually dysphagia), invasion to the muscularis propria is observed & metastasis has occurred.
Esophageal CANCER DRUGS
Endoscopic stents for palliation of dysphagia – radiation treatment - chemotherapy for metastatic disease.
Cisplatin + Flurouracil or Cisplatin + 5-FU + Vinblastine.
Taxanes as second-line therapy.
Gastric CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
4th most deadly cancer, with a 5-year survival of only 20%
Gastric CANCER DRUGS
All patients should be tested for their HER-2 status. HER-2 +: trastuzumab + 5-FU + cisplatin regimen HER-2 -: 5-FU + cisplatin +/- doxorubicin, irinotecan or docetaxel.
Glutamic acid can be used in deficiencies of HCl in the gastric juice.
GI Carcinoid Tumors CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
Rare malignancies arisingmfrom cells linking the endocrine & central nervous systems. They originate in cells that are responsible for production
of key neurosecretory hormones.
GI Carcinoid Tumors DRUGS
-Octreotide acts at somatostatin receptors to inhibit the secretions. ~12 months regiment because of
tachyphylaxis and/or disease progression.
-IFN-alpha inhibits disease progression & provides symptom relief in ~75% of patients. Drug has substantial adverse effects, including alopecia, anorexia, fatigue, weight loss, fever, a flu-like syndrome, & myelosuppression;
Chemotherapeutics are ineffective
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
Comprise < 1% of all GI tumors; 3 - 6,000 new
GIST in US pa. GISTs equally distributed across all geographic & ethnic groups & men & women are equally affected. Most patients present between the ages of 50 & 80.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors DRUGS
80% are KIT-mutant; 5% are KIT-negative; 5-8% are PDGFRA-mutant; Cytotoxic chemotherapy is futile partly due to P-gp overexpression. TKIs: Imatinib 1st line treatment for nosurgical. Survival now < 2 years to > 5 years. If resistance, developes Sunitinib.
Pancreatic CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
Poorly understood cancer of increasing incidence with >44,000 new cases diagnosed in the US pa. Rarely curable; OS <20% of new diagnoses
have organ-confined disease.
Pancreatic CANCER DRUGS
Drug management remains controversial +/-surgery/radiation. Frequently, malabsorption & malnutrition.
Drugs include:
Gemcitabine or 5-FU/folinic acid.
Gemcitabine & erlotinib, or FOLFIRINOX [leucovorin-fluorouracilirinotecan-oxiplatin].
Liver CANCER INCIDENCE & PROGNOSIS
> 29,000 new cases of HCC in the US pa; <30%
present with limited-stage disease at diagnosis.
Liver CANCER DRUGS
> 70% present advanced DZ. ~80% HBV or HCV infections (p53 pathway).
TACE, trans-catheter arterial chemoembolization
Doxorubicin injected tumor is occluded. Arteries feeding tumor spares normal tissue.
Sorafenib is standard for HCC increases overall survival.
Bevacizumab
MECHANISM
rhuMAb-VEGF
Bevacizumab
ISSUES
Bleeding, GI perforation, wound dehiscence, hypertension,
hypersensitivity
Capecitabine
MECHANISM
Oral pro-drug metabolized to 5FU
Capecitabine
ISSUES
Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency (familial pyrimidinemia) prevents metabolic activation. Contraindicated in renal dysfunction; adverse CV events; interacts with oral anticoagulant, coumarin. Neurologic & hematologic toxicities.
Cetuximab
MECHANISM
rh/mMAb-EGFR
Cetuximab
ISSUES
Cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and/or sudden death; infusion reactions. Acneiform rash.
Cisplatin
MECHANISM
Forms DNA intrastrand crosslinks & adducts.