Week 3: Cancer & Chemotherapy

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49 Terms

1
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What is the primary goal of anticancer drugs affecting DNA synthesis and function?

Selective toxicity—impairing or killing cancer cells while leaving healthy human cells unharmed

2
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Do anticancer drugs that affect DNA synthesis discriminate between cancerous and healthy cells?

No, they can affect both and often have severe side effects

3
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What are alkylating agents?

Some of the oldest and most powerful anticancer drugs that bind directly to DNA bases and form cross-links

4
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How do alkylating agents disrupt DNA?

By forming cross-links between guanine nucleotides, preventing replication and transcription, and potentially breaking the DNA chain

5
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Give examples of alkylating agents

Chlorambucil and cyclophosphamide

6
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What are anti-tumor antibiotics?

Drugs that insert themselves into the DNA strand, inhibiting transcription or causing direct breaks; originally antibacterials but too toxic for infections

7
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Give examples of anti-tumor antibiotics

Bleomycin, daunorubicin, mitomycin, streptomycin

8
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What are platinum coordination complexes?

Drugs containing platinum that insert into DNA, blocking or breaking it to prevent replication

9
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Give examples of platinum coordination complexes

Cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin

10
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What are topoisomerases?

Key enzymes necessary for DNA replication that relieve tension on DNA as it splits during cell division

11
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How do topoisomerase inhibitors work?

They prevent topoisomerases from functioning, causing DNA to break during division

12
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Give examples of Type I topoisomerase inhibitors

Etoposide and teniposide

13
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Give examples of Type II topoisomerase inhibitors

Irinotecan and topotecan

14
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What are antimetabolites?

Drugs that act on DNA synthesis pathways by inhibiting enzymes or substituting for DNA building blocks

15
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How do antimetabolites stop cell division?

By impairing the creation of new DNA, which halts cell division

16
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Give examples of antimetabolites

Fluorouracil and methotrexate

17
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What is the mitotic apparatus made of, and why is it important?

Microtubules, essential for a cell to divide into two new cells

18
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How do antimicrotubule agents affect cancer cells?

They disrupt microtubules, speeding, slowing, or stopping mitosis, often causing cell self-destruction

19
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What are vinca alkaloids and how do they work?

Drugs that inhibit the formation of microtubules

20
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Give examples of vinca alkaloids

Vinblastine, vincristine, vinorelbine

21
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What are taxanes and how do they work?

Drugs that freeze the mitotic apparatus partway through division, causing the cell to self-destruct

22
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Give examples of taxanes

Docetaxel and paclitaxel

23
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What is the goal of hormonal therapies in cancer?

To inhibit the production or block the effects of hormones accelerating tumor growth

24
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How do hormonal therapies work for breast cancer?

Aromatase inhibitors reduce estrogen production, slowing hormone-sensitive cancer growth

25
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How do hormonal therapies work for prostate cancer?

Androgen receptor blockers prevent androgens from accelerating cancer growth

26
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How can hormones like prednisone affect cancer cells?

They can inhibit cell proliferation or induce cell death in certain cells, such as lymphocytes in leukemias and lymphomas

27
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Are hormonal therapies usually curative?

No, they often delay cancer growth to allow other interventions like radiation or surgery

28
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What is the main advantage of targeted therapies over conventional anticancer drugs?

They focus on specific traits of cancer cells, producing fewer toxic effects on healthy cells

29
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What are monoclonal antibodies (MABs) and how do they work?

Laboratory-synthesized antibodies that bind to antigens on cancer cells, blocking division signals, initiating apoptosis, or inhibiting angiogenesis

30
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What are tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and how do they work?

Drugs that bind abnormal or overactive tyrosine kinase enzymes on cancer cells, preventing excessive cell division

31
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Give examples of TKIs and their naming pattern

Erlotinib, gefitinib, imatinib; names often end in "-nib"

32
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What are immunotherapies designed to do?

Boost or activate the immune system's ability to recognize and kill cancer cells

33
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What are cytokines and how do they work in cancer therapy?

Small messenger proteins that can inhibit cell division, promote cell death, or encourage cytotoxic cells to attack cancer cells

34
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Give examples of cytokines used in cancer therapy

Interferons (INF alpha 2b) and interleukins (IL-2)

35
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How do some monoclonal antibodies help the immune system fight cancer?

They sensitize cancer cells so T lymphocytes can recognize and attack them or act as checkpoint inhibitors to prevent immune suppression

36
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How can vaccines help prevent cancer?

By preventing infections that may lead to cancers, such as HPV and Hepatitis B vaccines

37
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What is adoptive cell transfer?

A technique where a patient's T cells are removed, grown in a lab, and reinfused at higher concentrations

38
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How can adoptive cell transfer be enhanced?

Genetically modifying T cells to become "serial killer cells" that more effectively find and destroy cancer cells

39
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What does asparaginase do in cancer treatment?

Deprives tumor cells of asparagine, a necessary factor for cell division

40
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What do histone deacetylase inhibitors do?

Affect the molecules that package DNA within the cell

41
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What is the role of retinoids in cancer therapy?

Help undifferentiated cancer cells function more like normal cells

42
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Why is combination chemotherapy used?

To combat cancer with a multi-pronged approach using multiple drugs

43
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Give examples of combination chemotherapy acronyms and their associated cancers

  • ABVD for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

  • CMF for early-stage breast cancer

  • FOLFOX for colorectal cancer

44
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What are common side effects of conventional chemotherapy?

  • Hair loss

  • Gastrointestinal problems

  • Anemia and fatigue

  • Neurotoxicity

  • Cardiotoxicity

Skin rashes

45
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Why do conventional chemotherapy drugs cause these side effects?

They do not discriminate between healthy and cancerous cells, affecting tissues that constantly replicate

46
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How are targeted therapies changing side effects?

They reduce severe side effects because they more selectively target cancer cells

47
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How can physical therapists help cancer patients during treatment?

  • Manage pain

  • Promote exercise

  • Maintain strength

  • Range of motion

  • Cardiovascular function

48
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What role do physical therapists play in cancer prevention?

Advise on:

  • Regular exercise

  • Quitting smoking

  • Low-fat and high-fiber diet

  • Sunscreen use

  • UV avoidance

  • Early detection through screenings and self-exams

49
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What are some future perspectives in oncology?

  • More effective targeted therapies

  • More infection-preventing vaccines

  • Drugs that protect healthy cells from chemotherapy

  • Personalized oncology based on patient and cancer genetics