QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
What is chemotherapy? - correct answer a treatment which leads directly or indirectly to the
death of a dividing cell/cancer cell
What is the aim of chemotherapy? - correct answer destruction and death of cancer cells with
minimal or acceptable damage to 'bystander' healthy cells
What are some terms to describe different ways chemotherapy can be given? - correct answer -
neoadjuvant
- adjuvant
- curative
- synchronous
- palliative
What does neoadjuvant mean? - correct answer given before surgery or radiotherapy
What does adjuvant mean? - correct answer given after surgery or radiotherapy
What does curative mean? - correct answer given standalone
What does synchronous mean? - correct answer - also called chemoradiation
- given alongside radiation
What does palliative mean? - correct answer - without curative intent
- decrease tumour load and increase life expectancy
Which tumours would curative chemotherapy be used for? - correct answer childhood:
- all
- wilms tumour
, - ewings
- rhabdomyosarcoma
- neuroblastoma
Adult:
- lymphomas (h + nh)
- teratomas and seminomas
- gestational trophoblastic neoplasm
Which tumours would neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy be used for? - correct answer -
breast
- bowel
- lung
- stomach/oesophagus
Which type of cancers would chemo-radiotherapy be used for? - correct answer squamous cell
cancers:
- head and neck
- cervical
- oesophagus
- rectal
- anal
What are the 5 main types of traditional cytotoxics? - correct answer - alkylating agents
- antimetabolites
- mitotic inhibitors
- anthracyclines
- topoisomerase inhibitors
What is the mechanism of action of alkylating agents? (3) - correct answer - cross-link guanine
nucleobases in dna
- strands are unable to uncoil