onc workbook

Question 1

What is pharmacokinetics? pharcodynamics?

Answer 1

Kinetics - what body does to drug

Dynamics - what drug does to the body

Question 2

Which kind of drug would be most effective against tumours which have rapid growth?

Answer 2

Drugs which are specific for ‘s phase’ will be most effective against tumours which have rapid growth

Question 3

What 3 features must be present for a treatment to be effective?

Answer 3

drug must reach cancer vcells

cell must be sensitive to the cytotoxic of drug

toxic effect must be minimal to benefit of drug

Question 4

What is neoadjuvant chemo? what’s it’s benefit?

Answer 4

Given before surgery

Eradicates micrometastatic disease = better survival

Disadvantage = delay in definitive treatment - chemotherapy complications and patient’s decrease status before surgery

Question 5

What is adjuvant chemo?

Answer 5

Given after surgery

margins or micrometastatic sites are free from disease

Disad - morbidity from surgery = paitient not fit enough for chemo with an appropriate time frame

Question 6

What are some alkylating agents?

Answer 6

cyclophosphamide

cisplatin

chlorambucil

Question 7

What are some anti-metabolites?

Answer 7

MTX

fluourouracil

Question 8

What are natural products?

Answer 8

Vinca alkaloids - periwinkle

taxanes - yew tree

etopside - mayapple

bleomycin

Question 9

Problems with chemo?

Answer 9

variable efficacy - drug won’t work because of the molecular biology of the tumour, which prevents it from working

acquired resistance - more you give the drug the more the cancer cells mutate until they become resistant

toxic side effects