Immune System

Question 1

methotrexate

Answer 1

Classification: Antineoplastic

Therapeutic use: Treats acute leukemias; lymphomas; choriocarcinoma (uterine cancer associated with pregnancy); cancer of the head, neck, and pelvis; as well as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. (Both disorders have an autoimmune component.)

Question 2

cytarabine

Answer 2

Classification: Antimetabolite

Therapeutic use: Treats both acute myelocytic and acute lymphocytic leukemias, often as part of a multiple medication regimen, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Prevents and treats meningitis caused by leukemia (intrathecal form), and maintains remission in the above cancers.

Question 3

mercaptopurine

Answer 3

Classification: Purine antagonist

Therapeutic use: Treats acute lymphocytic and acute myelogenous leukemia in adults and children. May cause temporary remission in chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Question 4

cyclophosphamide

Answer 4

Classification: Alkylating agent

Therapeutic use: Treats leukemias; multiple myeloma; lymphomas; solid tumors (adenocarcinomas) of the head, ovary, and breast; and lung cancer.

Question 5

carmustine

Answer 5

Classification: Anticancer agent

Therapeutic use: Treats primary and metastatic brain tumors, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, melanoma, hepatoma, and gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma.

Question 6

cisplatin

Answer 6

Classification: Antineoplastic

Therapeutic use: Used in combination with other chemotherapy agents to treat metastatic testicular or ovarian cancer. Used off-label to treat head and neck cancers or carcinoma of the bladder or uterine lining.

Question 7

doxorubicin

Answer 7

Classification: Anthracycline

Therapeutic use: In regular IV form, treats acute leukemias, lymphomas, Wilms’ tumor, neuroblastoma (children), bone and soft tissue sarcomas, thyroid cancer, transitional cell bladder cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. In ;iposome injectable form, treats Kaposi’s sarcoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and multiple myeloma refractory to other treatments. Often used with radiation therapy, surgery, or other treatments for cancer.

Question 8

vincristine

Answer 8

Classification: Plant alkaloid

Therapeutic use: Treats acute leukemias, lymphomas, Wilms’ tumor, neuroblastoma (children), breast cancer, lung cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas.

Question 9

paclitaxel

Answer 9

Classification: Plant alkaloid

Therapeutic use: Treats ovarian cancer, breast cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. Used investigationally for many other types of cancer, such as leukemia, gastrointestinal cancers, head/neck cancers.

Question 10

topotecan

Answer 10

Classification: Antineoplastic

Therapeutic use: Treats cancers that other anticancer medications have failed to treat: metastatic ovarian cancer and small-cell lung cancer.

Question 11

leuprolide

Answer 11

Classification: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist​​​​​​​

Therapeutic use: Used as an alternative to surgical castration, or orchiectomy, which provides palliation for advanced prostate cancer. Treats endometriosis and uterine fibroid non-malignant tumors in females. Acts on the pituitary gland to cause the release of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates testosterone production by the testes. Regular administration of the medication form increases production of testosterone for a short time and then drastically decreases its production.

Question 12

flutamide

Answer 12

Classification: Antiandrogens

Therapeutic use: Treats prostate cancer in early stages and after metastasis.

Question 13

tamoxifen

Answer 13

Classification: Selective estrogen receptor blocker

Therapeutic use: Treats estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer. Prevents occurrence of breast cancer in clients who were assigned female at birth and who are at high risk.

Question 14

anastrozole

Answer 14

Classification: Non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor

Therapeutic use: Treats early or advanced ER (estrogen receptor) positive breast cancer in postmenopausal clients only.

Question 15

trastuzumab

Answer 15

Classification: Monoclonal Antibody

Therapeutic use: Treats a specific type of metastatic breast cancer (tumors with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2], which includes up to 30% of metastatic breast cancers).

Question 16

interferon alfa-2A/interferon alfa-2B

Answer 16

Classification: Interferon

Therapeutic use: Treats hairy cell leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia (interferon alfa-2A), malignant myeloma (interferon alfa-2B), and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Interferon alfa-2A treats chronic hepatitis C and interferon alfa-2B treats chronic hepatitis B and C.

Question 17

imatinib

Answer 17

Classification: Kinase inhibitor

Therapeutic use: Used as initiatl treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Treats acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and certain metastatic gastrointestinal tumors.

Question 18

enfuvirtide

Answer 18

Classification: HIV fusion inhibitor

Therapeutic use: Treats HIV disease that is advanced or when there is resistance to other types of medications.

Question 19

maraviroc

Answer 19

Classification: Entry inhibitor

Therapeutic use: Treats only those clients who have HIV-1 that binds with CCR5 (CCR5-tropic) and is resistant to other HIV medications

Question 20

zidovudine

Answer 20

Classification: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)

Therapeutic use: Treats symptoms of HIV infection (must combine with a regimen of several HIV medications to prevent resistance). Prevents maternal HIV transmission to fetus.

Question 21

delavirdine

Answer 21

Classification: Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)

Therapeutic use: Treats symptoms of HIV-1 infection (must combine with a regimen of several HIV medications to prevent resistance).

Question 22

raltegravir

Answer 22

Classification: Integrase inhibitors

Therapeutic use: Treats HIV-1 resistant to other HIV medications.

Question 23

ritonavir

Answer 23

Classification: Protease inhibitor

Therapeutic use: Treats both HIV-1 and HIV-2 in combination with at least one reverse transcriptase inhibitor to prevent resistance. Increases therapeutic effects of other antiretroviral medications.