Agents Used for Cancer - 1/28/25

5,7,8

How many active pahses are in cell growth and reploication

4

What is the first active phase of cell growth

G1 which is triggered by signal

What is the second phase of cell growth

The cell includes DNA synthesis

What is the 3rd phase of cell growth

G2 phase which prepares for mitosis; and this phase has a checkpoint to see if DNA has replicated correctly

What is the final stage of cell growth

M; Mitosis checkpointfor everything lined up so cell division can take placde

Which two check points can stop cell replication

G2 and M

Which two check points can initiate apoptosis

G2 and M

Cell growth and replication occur when?

In response to signaling, which varies by life stage and cell type

What do tumor suppressor genes do

Slow cell growth and can initiate apoptosis

When does apoptosis occer?

If the cell is damaged and if telomeres shorten past a critical length (senescence)

What is the role of T-cells in the bloodstream

Recognizae neoantigens on surface of tumor cells and destory cell

What is the role of B-cells in the lymph system

Create antibodies that recognize and tag damaged cells, so they can be destroyed by macrophages

What is angiogenesis, and how do cancer cells use it?

Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. Cancer cells grow new blood vessels to increase their nutrient supply.

What allows cancer cells to establish tumors in other parts of the body?

Cancer cells metastasize, traveling to other sites in the body and starting the same growth processes there.

Why are cancer cells difficult for the body to overcome with a single defense mechanism?

Cancer cells accumulate multiple chromosomal changes, enabling them to evade any single process used by the body to counteract their growth.

What is chemotherapy?

A general term for drug therapy but commonly associated with cancer therapy. It is used to describe all anticancer therapy but most strongly associated with cytotoxic drugs

What is cytotoxic chemotherapy?

It kills all rapidly-dividing cells by interfering with cellular synthesis of DNA or RNA or proteins they make

What is targeted chemotherapy

Interferes with specific proteins that are involved in cancer cell growth and spread, leading to cell destruction

What is hormone chemotherapy

Slows or stops growth of sex-hormone related cancers like prostate or breast

What is adjuvant therapy

Is given after surgery or radiation to kill remaining cancer cells W

What is neoadjuvant therapy

Is given to shrink a tumor before surgery

How does cytotoxic chemotherapy work

By stopping the cell growth and replication cycle, either one part (phase specific) or multiple parts

What is a limitation of cytotoxic chemotherapy

It kills all rapidly proliferating cells, including rapidly proliferating healthy cells

Which phase of cellular growth is unaffected by cytotoxic chemotherapy

G0, but exceptions exist

What parts of the body are affected by cytotoxic chemotherapy in a rapid turnover?

Blood, gastrointestinal tract, hair follicle and skin epithelial cells

What are some factors that affect the length of treatment and duration of cytotoxic chemotherapy

type of cancer, extent/stage, goal of treatment, purpose, patient response, number and types of drugs used.

What is a pro of targeted chemotherapy

It includes cellular changes not seen in healthy cells, so it has fewer side effects than cytotoxic chemotherapy

What drugs are included in targeted chemotherapy

Small molecule drugs (-nibs) and large molecule drugs (-mabs)

What are nibs?

enter a cell and target a specific substance within the cellW

What is a -mab?

Large molecule drugs that target proteins or enzymes from the cell surfacfe

What is immunotherapy

Triggers the body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells

What are angiogenesis inhibitors

Nibs and mabs which bind to VEGF receptors

What are signal transduction inhibitors

Small molecule drugs that disrupt intracellular signaling

What are proteasome inhibitors?

Small molecule drugs (mib) that activate cell signaling leading to apoptosis

What are monoclonal antibodies?

Bind to the outside of breast cancer cells which overexpress HER-2 protein

What are synthetic cytokines

A synthetic version of interleukin-2 which increases growth and activity of T-cells and B-cels

What are checkpoint inhibitors?

Turn off a cancer cell’s ability to hide from or appear normal to a T-cell or B-cell

What is chimeric antigenic receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy

Modifies some of the body’s own T-cells so they can find a specific tumor cell

What are monoclonal antibodies?

They can activate immune system in addition to inactivating cancer cells directly that bind to the CD52 antigen on cells of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and attracts B-cells and T-cells

What is biomarker testing

Testing a sample of the patient’s cancer cells for biomarker expression, then targeting therapy to the biomarker