Strategies for Cancer Chemotherapy

Question 1

What is pulse therapy?

Answer 1

Intermittent treatment with very high doses of a drug, followed by drug-free periods

this allows for hematologic and immune recovery between treatment cycles

Question 2

What is rescue therapy?

Answer 2

After administration of toxic doses of a chemotherapeutic agent, normal cells can be rescued by giving substances the normal cells can use - lik eleucovorin

Question 3

What are some good aspects of using combination therapy?

Answer 3

1. some drugs have synergistic effects when given together
2. decreased development of resistance when given together
3. broader cell kill in cancers that consist of a heterogeneous tumor cell population

Question 4

WHat is recruitement?

Answer 4

When you use a CCNS drug to achieve a significant log kill - this will cause the cancer cells in G0 to be recruited back into the cell cycle
Then you administer a CCS drug to kill the now-dividing cells

Question 5

What is synchrony?

Answer 5

using CCS drugs to synchronise cells into simultaneous cell division so that they are more sensitive to other drugs or radiation

Question 6

What stage of the cell cycle does hydroxyurea syndhronize cancer cells into?

Answer 6

S phase?

Question 7

WHat cell cycle stage do vinca alkaloids recruit cells into? What do you usually give after that?

Answer 7

M phase

then you give etoposide to kill them in S phase