principles of cancer treatment Flashcards
what is chemotheray?
a chemical that is toxic to multiplying cells (in the cell cycle)
What drugs are in the FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen?
oxaliplatin
fluorouracil
How do alkylating agents work (oxaliplatin)?
they are non-cell cycle specific
kill cells regardless of the cell cycle phase
works even when cells are resting/not dividing
The 2 general principles of cancer chemotherapy?
cell cycle specific
cell cycle non-specific
How are cell cycle specific drugs given?
given more than once over several days
can be continuous infucion over several days
How are cell cycle non-specific drugs given?
given as large bolous dose on day 1
aims of chemotherapy
- curative - definite cure, leukaemia
- adjuvant - after definite Tx like surgery/radiotherapy, eradicate micrometastases
- neoadjuvant - prior to definite Tx to help procedure, shrink large tumour to make it more operable
- palliative - control Sx and improve QoL
monitoring for response to tx/toxicity with chemotherapy
FBC
U&Es
Sx review
weight
tumour markers
imaging
When can hormone therapy be used?
for hormone driven cancers
- to shrink tumour
- slow down/stop growth
- reduce Sx
- combined with other Txs
- make cancer less likely to spread/return
- reduce risk of breask cancer in healthy at risk women
different MoAs for targeted therapy
- induce immune response
- inhibit cancer cell growth
- inhibit angiogenesis
- release cytotoxic agents at site of action
- induce apoptosis
- inhibit hormone dependent growth
2 main types of targeted therapies
MAbs
- block R on surface of cancer cell
- activate WBCS (immunotherapy)
- manuf using live cells (biologics)
- deliver chemotherapy to cells
- normally IV every 1-3 weeks
small molecules
- TKIs
- orally every day
3 types of immunotherapy
- MABs
- checkpoint inhibitors
- CAR T cell therapy
How does radiotherapy work?
uses high energy rays such as x-rays to treat cancer
destroys cancer cells in the area where it is given but can also destroy healthy cells in that area
reasons radiotherapy can be used
radical (cure)
chemoradiation
adjuvant (chemo, surgery)
neoadjuvant
palliative
2 types of radiotherapy
external beam
- using radiotherapy to aim beams at cancer
- from outside body
- will damage healthy cells
internal bean
- from inside the body
- radioactive liquid (radioactive iodine)
- moves through body and collects where cancer is
- can affect other cells but mostly cancer cells
- smaller cancers, thyroid
