Drugs for Cancer Treatment

Flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to cancer overview, cancer cell biology, cancer development, cancer treatment approaches, and various categories of chemotherapy and hormone therapy drugs and their effects.

Cancer

A disease resulting from abnormal cell growth due to changes in normal DNA that lead to damaged gene expression and loss of normal cell growth controls.

Mitosis

The process of cell division.

Neoplasia

New or continued abnormal cell growth that is not needed for normal development or tissue replacement.

Benign (tumors)

Abnormal cell growths that expand rather than invade and do not spread to other body areas.

Cancer cells (characteristics)

Undergo continuous and quicker cell division, have an unlimited lifespan, overgrow, and spread (metastasize) by invading other body areas.

Malignant transformation (Carcinogenesis)

The multistep process of changing a normal cell into a cancer cell.

Carcinogens

Substances or events that can damage normal cell DNA and lead to cancer development.

Primary tumor

The original site where a cancerous tumor first occurs.

Metastasis

The process where cancer cells move from the primary tumor location through hematologic or lymphatic spread and establish new tumors in other areas.

Local cancer treatment

Approaches like surgery and radiation therapy, most effective for tumors confined to a limited body area.

Systemic cancer treatment

Approaches like traditional chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biologics/targeted therapies, which have a cancer-killing effect wherever cancer cells are present in the body.

Malignant neoplasm

A more technical term for cancer.

Antineoplastic drugs

Drugs used to treat cancer, also known as cancer drugs, anticancer drugs, cytotoxic chemotherapy, or chemotherapy.

Traditional chemotherapy

The use of cytotoxic drugs to kill cancer cells by damaging cancer cell DNA and interfering with cell division; can damage both normal and cancer cells.

Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)

A measure of neutrophils, the most important infection-fighting white blood cells, used to monitor patients receiving chemotherapy.

Dose-limiting adverse effects

Adverse effects that are severe enough to require a reduction in the dosage of an anticancer drug, commonly affecting the GI tract and bone marrow.

Alopecia

Hair loss, a common side effect of many chemotherapy drugs.

Myelosuppression (Bone Marrow Suppression/Depression)

A reduction in the production of blood cells by the bone marrow, a common adverse effect of chemotherapy.

Extravasation

The leaking of an antineoplastic drug into surrounding tissues during intravenous (IV) administration, which can cause permanent damage.

Alkylating agents

A category of chemotherapy drugs that prevents cell division by damaging its DNA.

Antimetabolites

A category of cell-cycle-specific chemotherapy drugs that interfere with DNA synthesis.

Teratogens

Substances that can cause developmental abnormalities and should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding, such as antimetabolites.

Hepatotoxicity

Damage to the liver, an adverse effect of some antimetabolites.

Tumor lysis syndrome

An oncologic emergency characterized by hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperuricemia, and hypocalcemia due to rapid tumor cell lysis.

Folate (folic acid) antagonists

A type of antimetabolite that interferes with the use of folic acid, preventing DNA production and leading to cell death.

Antitumor (Cytotoxic) Antibiotics

A category of chemotherapy drugs that are cell-cycle nonspecific, binding with DNA to prevent RNA synthesis needed for cell survival.

Anthracycline antibiotics

A subcategory of antitumor antibiotics known for potentially causing permanent damage to heart muscle cells.

Topoisomerase inhibitors

A category of cell-cycle-specific chemotherapy drugs that interfere with cell division and DNA synthesis by disrupting topoisomerase enzymes, causing DNA to break.

Mitotic inhibitors (Antimitotic agents)

A category of cell-cycle-specific chemotherapy drugs that interfere with the formation of microtubules, preventing cells from separating during cell division, and can cause peripheral nerve damage.

Peripheral neuropathy

Nerve damage, often permanent, characterized by symptoms like numbness, tingling, or difficulty with walking and balance, a severe adverse effect of mitotic inhibitors.

Combination chemotherapy

A cancer treatment strategy that uses a combination of chemotherapy drugs (cell-cycle specific and nonspecific) to kill cancer cells throughout the cell cycle, though it increases side effects.

Bevacizumab (Avastin)

An angiogenesis inhibitor that blocks the blood supply to a growing tumor, used to treat various metastatic cancers.

Imatinib (Gleevec)

A targeted therapy used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by inhibiting an enzyme active in the CML process.

Hormone therapy (Cancer)

A cancer treatment approach that decreases hormone availability or blocks hormone receptors to slow the growth of hormone-sensitive cancers like prostate and breast cancer, though it typically does not lead to a cure.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs)

A category of hormone therapy drugs for breast cancer that inhibits the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgens into estrogens, thereby reducing breast cancer cell growth.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)

A category of hormone therapy drugs for breast cancer that blocks estrogen receptors on breast cancer cells, interfering with growth.

Androgens (Prostate cancer)

Hormones, especially testosterone, that can increase the growth rate of prostate cancer cells.

Gynecomastia

Enlargement of breast tissue in males, a side effect related to reduced testosterone levels or functions during hormone therapy for prostate cancer.

Oncologic emergencies

Life-threatening complications of cancer or its treatment, such as infections, pulmonary toxicity, severe ulcerations, or metabolic aberrations.