Pharmacology Flashcards
alkalating agents
- produce strong electrophiles→ promote cross linking of DNA strands making them prone to breaking
- Cell Cycle Non-Specific (CCNS)
- side effects: carcinogenic (leukemia),bone marrow, mucosal toxicity,N/V, toxic effects on reproductive systems
- resistance may occur due to decreased permeability or uptake; increased rates of catabolism; enhanced DNA repair; increased glutathione production (inactivates via conjugation)
- classes: nitrogen mustards, nitrosoureas, triazenes, platinum analogs
Mechlorethamine (Mustargen)
- alkalating agent; nitrogen mustard
- mechanism: spontaneous conversion to active metabolites in body fluids or enzymatically converted in liver
- historically used for hodgkin’s disease, topically for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
- don’t use much anymore due to sterility
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
Ifosfaminde (Ifex)
- alkalating agents; nitrogen mustard
- produgs converted by hepatic cyt P450→ phosphoramide mustard
- important side effects: hemorrhagic cystitis due to toxic drug metabolite acrolein (hydration and administration of MESNA minimizes problem)
- cyclophosphamide: MC used alkylating agent (broad spectrum): ALL, CLL, non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, breast, lung, ovarian cancer
- ifosfaminde: sarcoma and testicular cancer
Carmustine (Gliadel)
Lomustine (Ceenu)
- alkylating agent; nitrosureas
- brain tumors (lipophilic→ cross blood-brain barrier)
- important side effects: renal toxicity, pulmonary fibrosis
- other side effects: profound myelosuppression, severe N/V
Dacarbazine (DTIC)
Temozolomide (Temodar)
- alkylating agent; triazenes
- side effects: nausea/vomiting, myelosuppression, flu-like symptoms (fever, fatigue)
- dacarbazine: prodrug activated by liver cytochromes; part of ABVD for Hodgkin’s disease
- temozolomide: nonenzymatic conversion to methylhydrazine at physiologic pH; treats malignant gliomas
Cisplatin (Platinol)
- alkylating agent; platinum analog (MC used)
- doesn’t form carbonium intermediate or formally alkylate DNA; covalently bind nucleophilic sites on DNA
- treats: testicular, ovarian, cervical, and bladder cancers
- important side effects: nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, peripheral motor and sensory neuropathy at high doses, severe N/V, mild to moderate myelosuppression
Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
- alkylating agent; platinum analog
- mechanism: doesn’t form carbonium intermediate or formally alkylate DNA; covalently bind nucleophilic sites on DNA
- treats ovarian cancer
- side effects: myelosuppression (thrombocytopenia)
Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)
- alkylating agent; class: platinum analog
- mechanism: doesn’t form carbonium intermediate or formally alkylate DNA; covalently bind nucleophilic sites on DNA
- treats: gastric and colorectal cancer
- important: peripheral sensory neuropathy (cold-induced), neutropenia
Methotrexate (Trexall)
- antimetabolite; folate analog (MC used)
- inhibits DHFR (converts dietary folate to THF; needed for thymidine and purine synthesis); given orally or intrathecally (meningeal leukemia and metastases)
- treats: childhood ALL and choriocarcinoma; combination therapy for Burkitt’s lymphoma and carcinomas of breast, ovary, head and neck, and bladder; high-dose for osteosarcoma
- side effects: renal toxicity (crystallization in urine at high doses), hepatotoxicity (long-term, fibrosis/cirrhosis), reproductive (defective oogenesis or spermatogenesis, abortion)
- leucovorin: prevents toxic effects of MTX (tumor cells cannot uptake folinic acid)
Pemetrexed (Alimta)
- antimetabolite; folate analog
- inhibits THF-dependent enzymes (e.g., DHFR, TS); metabolized to polyglutamate forms that inhibit THF-dependent enzymes (e.g., DHFR, thymidylate synthase (TS)
- treats: mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancer
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU, Carac)
- antimetabolite; pyramidine analog
- 5-FU→active metabolites: 5-FdUMP inhibits TS; inhibits DNA synthesis
- combination therapy for breast, colorectal, gastric, head and neck, cervical and pancreatic cancer; topically for basal cell carcinoma
- side effects: hand-foot syndrome (erythema, sensitivity of palms and soles), cardiac toxicity (acute chest pains)
- other side effects: anorexia and nausea; mucosal ulcerations, stomatitis, diarrhea; thrombocytopenia and anemia
- leucovorin can potentiate effects of 5-FU
- must be given IV (GI toxicity and rapid degradation + metabolism in gut and liver)
Cytarabine (AraC, Depocyt)
- antimetabolite; pyramidine analog
- Ara-C converted by deoxycytidine kinase to Ara-CMP→Ara-CTP; terminates DNA synthesis
- treats: AML (most effective treatment), ALL and blast phase CML
- side effects: severe myelosuppression, GI toxicity
Gemcitabine (dFdC, Gemzar)
- antimetabolite; pyramidine analog
- converted to active metabolites: dFdCDP inhibits ribonucleotide reductase (lowers deoxyribonucleotide); dFdCTP incorporates into DNA
- pancreatic cancer; solid tumors (more effective than cytarabine); NSCLC, ovarian, bladder, head and neck cancer
antimetabolites
- structural analogs of folic acid or of the purine/pyramidine bases found in DNA; act in S-phase (cell cycle specific)
- classes: folate, pyramidine, and purine analogs
6-Mercaptopurine (Purinethol)
- antimetabolite; class: purine analog
- prodrug metabolized by HGPRT→ 6-thioinosinic acid (TIMP) which inhibits de novo purine base synthesis, formation of AMP and xanthinylic acid from inosinic acid, (reducing purine levels); TIMP is converted to thio-guanine ribonucleotides inhibiting DNA and RNA synthesis
- maintain remission in acute ALL
- side effects: hepatotoxicity in prolonged use, BMS
- interacts with allopurinol (inhibits xanthine oxidase), decrease 6-MP dose to avoid toxicities
Dactinomycin (Actinomycin D, Cosmegen)
- DNA intercalating agent
- intercalates G-C base interfering with DNA-dependant RNA pol
- treats: pediatric tumors (Wilms’ tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma Ewing’s sarcoma); choriocarcinoma in women
- side effects: hematopoietic suppression with pancytopenia
anthracycline antibiotics
- DNA intercalating agents that intercalate between DNA base pairs and donate electrons to O2 → superoxide→ H2O2→ cleaved with Fe→ OH radical→ cleaves DNA
- side effects: irreversible dose-dependent cardiotoxicity (dexrazoxane is cardio-protective)
- daunorubicin/idarubicin: AML
- doxorubicin: broad spectrum (sarcomas, breast, lung, malignant lymphomas)
Bleomycin (Blenoxane)
- DNA intercalating
- acts in G2 phase; binds to DNA, producing ss- and dsDNA breaks (mechanism similar to anthracyclines)
- treats: combination therapy for testicular tumors or Hodgkin’s disease
- side effects: pulmonary toxicity (pulmonary fibrosis);
- minimally myelo- and immunosuppressive (often used in combo therapy)
- dexrazoxane is cardio-protective
Vinca Alkaloids
- MT inhibitors that blocks tubulin polymerization into MTs
- resistance
- vinblastine: treats metastatic testicular tumors (+ bleomycin, cisplatin); component of ABVD for Hodgkin’s disease; BMS
- vincristine: treats childhood AL (+ glucocorticoids); dose-limiting neurotoxicity (peripheral neuropathy); low BMS
taxanes
- MT inhibitors that block MT depolymerization into tubulin
- treats: metastatic breast, ovarian, lung, and head and neck cancers
- side effects: peripheral neuropathy, neutropenia, hypersensitivity reactions
- paclitaxel: metastatic breast, ovarian, lung, head, neck
- docetaxel: hormone refractory prostate cancer
epipodophyllotoxinss
- inhibits topoisomerase II (breaks and reseals dsDNA)
- side effects: dose-limiting myelosuppression (neutropenia), oral mucositis
- etoposide: broad spectrum (testicular carcinoma, lung cancer, non-Hodgin’s lymphoma)
- teniposide: ALL
camptothecin analogs
- inhibits topoisomerase I (breaks and reseals ssDNA)
- side effects: severe neutropenia, severe diarrhea
- irinotecan: advanced colorectal cancer
- topotecan: ovarian and SCLC
hormone therapy
- used in the treatment of hormone-dependent neoplasms
- classes: glucocorticoids, SERMs, SERDs, aromatase inhibitors, GnRH blockers, nonsteroidal androgen receptor blockers
glucocorticoids
- hormone therapy; inhibit mitosis in lymphocytes
- prednisone: ALL (+ vincristine)
- dexamethasone: reduces edema in brain and spinal cord tumors with radiation therapy
Tamoxifen (Soltamox)
- hormone therapy; SERM (competes with estradiol for binding to ER)
- treats: ER+ breast cancer and prevention of breast cancer in high-risk patients
- side effects: hot flushes, hair loss; increased risk of endometrial cancer (weak agonist of ER in endometrium); increased risk of thromboembolic events
Fulvestrant (Faslodex)
- hormone therapy; class: SERD
- binds with much higher affinity (>100-fold) to ER vs. tamoxifen, inhibiting dimerization, increasing degradation, and reducing overall ER levels
- treats: posmenopausal women with ER+ metastatic breast cancer
aromatase inhibitors
- hormone therapy; class: aromatase inhibitor
- ER + breast cancer in postmenopausal women
- aminoglutethamide: relatively weak, significant side effects (no longer used)
- anastrazole/letrozole: nonsteroidal AI
- exemestane: steroidal AI
hormone therapy for prostate cancer
- androgen ablation therapy of GnRH analog + AR blocker
- leuprolide: GnRH analog (binds GnRH receptor inhibiting FSH and LH but does not inhibit adrenal androgen synthesis)
- flutamide/bicalutamide: nonsteroidal AR blockers competes with AR for binding
Imatinib (Gleevac)
- tyrosine kinase inhibitor; prevents phosphorylation of Abl-kinase substrate; metabolized by cyt P450
- first line therapy for CML
- side effects: N/V, BMS
Gefitinib (Iressa)
Erlotinib (Tarceva)
Afatinib (Gilotrif)
- inhibits EGFR tyrosine kinase
- treats: non-small cell lung cancer
- side effects: poddibility of bleeding, interstitial lung disease
- metabolized by CYP3A4 (ketoconazole interacts); PPIs reduce absorption
- afatinib: pulmonary toxicity
Rituximab (Rituxan)
- chimeric monoclonal antibody; CD20 B-cell antibody that directly activates apoptosis, complement, or cell-mediated cytotoxicity (e.g., T cells, NK cells)
- treats: non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas
- important side effects: infusion reactions, tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
- patients need careful monitoring