Anti-cancer agents

Cytotoxic chemotherapy

Treatment using drugs that kill cancer cells.

Antimetabolites

Drugs that inhibit DNA or RNA synthesis and are cell cycle dependent.

Plant derivatives

Drugs that inhibit mitosis by inhibiting microtubule or topoisomerase.

Alkylating agents

Broad-spectrum drugs that cause DNA damage and are cell cycle independent.

Antineoplastic antibiotics

DNA damaging agents used in many cancers.

Fluorouracil

A pyrimidine analog that inhibits DNA synthesis.

Methotrexate

A folic acid analog that inhibits tetrahydrofolate synthesis.

Vincristine

A vinca alkaloid that causes mitotic arrest by inhibiting microtubules.

Campothecins

Drugs that inhibit topoisomerase I and cause DNA breaks.

Cisplatin

A platinum-containing drug that causes interstrand crosslinks in DNA.

Doxorubicin

An anthracycline that inhibits topoisomerase II and generates free radicals.

Hormonal therapy

Treatment using hormones to target hormone-sensitive cancers.

Glucocorticoid

A steroid hormone with anti-inflammatory effects used to lessen side effects of anti-cancer drugs.

Oestrogen

Used palliatively to treat androgen-dependent prostatic tumors.

Progestogens

Used for advanced endometrial cancer to inhibit cell growth and cause differentiation.

Hormone antagonists

Inhibitors of hormones used as anti-cancer treatment.

Anti-oestrogens

Selective estrogen receptor modulators that block estrogen actions in breast tissue.

Aromatase inhibitors

Inhibit the conversion of androgens into estrogen in postmenopausal women.

Anti-androgens

Used for testicular cancer to block androgen receptors.

Enzalutamide

Inhibits androgen binding, nuclear translocation, and DNA binding of androgen receptors.

Monoclonal antibodies

Substances that boost the immune system to fight cancer.

Trastuzumab

Inhibits growth factor receptor-ligand signaling pathways in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Bevacizumab

Neutralizes VEGF to prevent angiogenesis in colorectal cancer.

Cancer chemoprevention

Use of agents to suppress and prevent carcinogenic progression.

Tamoxifen

Competitively inhibits estrogen receptor binding and decreases DNA synthesis.

Raloxifene

Acts as an estrogen antagonist in uterine and breast tissue and lowers cholesterol levels.

NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that block prostaglandin synthesis.

Dietary/metabolic factors

Factors that can decrease or increase the risk of cancer.

Phytochemicals

Chemicals found in plants that can interfere with carcinogenesis.

Selenium

A mineral that has been found to have cancer-preventive effects.

Cancer vaccines

Vaccinations that prevent infection by certain types of human papillomaviruses.

Targeted chemotherapies

Therapies that focus on specific targets in cancer cells.

Protein Kinase Inhibitors

Small molecule inhibitors that target specific kinases involved in cancer growth.

Imatinib

A protein kinase inhibitor that inhibits the BCR-ABL enzyme in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Immune checkpoints

Proteins on the surface of T-cells that regulate the immune response and prevent excessive immune activity.

Antibody therapies

Treatments that use antibodies to block the binding of cancer cells to immune checkpoint proteins, restoring T-cell anti-tumor function.

CTLA-4 (Cytotoxic T-leukocyte antigen 4)

A checkpoint protein on T-cells that inhibits the immune response; targeted by the checkpoint inhibitor drug Ipilimumab.

Ipilimumab

A checkpoint inhibitor drug that blocks CTLA-4, leading to tumor regression but also causing severe autoimmune side effects.

Programmed death 1 (PD1)

A protein on T-cells that can be induced on tumor cells by Interferon gamma (IFNy), leading to functional exhaustion of tumor-fighting T-cells.

Nivolumab

A drug that activates PD1 in cancer cells, used for melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and cervical cancer.