GMS6540: ANTICANCER DRUGS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
anticancer therapy classes
-cytotoxic agents (chemotherapy)
-targeted therapy
-immunotherapy
cytotoxic agents
-also known as chemotherapy
-generally target all rapidly proliferating cells
-non-specific = hits cancer AND normal cells
-mainstay of clinical cancer therapy
targeted therapy
-cancer specific molecular alterations
-lower toxicities
-spare normal cells
-combined with cytotoxic agents, generally not used as a monotherapy
immunotherapy
-use of body's own defenses
-boost patients immune system
-patrol body, identify cancer cells, kill them
tumor progression
, -cancer is a disease of unregulated cell proliferation = most drugs target cell
proliferation
-cancer progression is associated with increased genetic instability = increased
probability of drug resistance
cells mutations contributing to tumor progression
-normal cell
-first mutation = cell seems normal but is predisposed to proliferate excessively
-second mutation = cell begins to proliferate too much but is otherwise normal
-third mutation = cell proliferates rapidly; it also undergoes structural changes
-fourth or later mutation = cell grows uncontrollably and looks obviously deranged
tumor growth
-relationship between growth fraction and drug action = gompertzian growth
-growth fraction = the fraction of tumor cells that are actively dividing
-growth fraction of a tumor decreases when the tumor size becomes too large
-since drugs only target dividing cells = tumors are most chem-sensitive when they are
small and have a high growth fraction
-concept = adjuvant therapy
T/F: the growth fraction of a tumor (fraction of tumor cells actively dividing)
DECREASES when the tumor size becomes too large
True
gompertzian growth
-Early growth is exponential, but as tumor gets bigger, growth slows due to decreased
nutrients/blood supply
ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
anticancer therapy classes
-cytotoxic agents (chemotherapy)
-targeted therapy
-immunotherapy
cytotoxic agents
-also known as chemotherapy
-generally target all rapidly proliferating cells
-non-specific = hits cancer AND normal cells
-mainstay of clinical cancer therapy
targeted therapy
-cancer specific molecular alterations
-lower toxicities
-spare normal cells
-combined with cytotoxic agents, generally not used as a monotherapy
immunotherapy
-use of body's own defenses
-boost patients immune system
-patrol body, identify cancer cells, kill them
tumor progression
, -cancer is a disease of unregulated cell proliferation = most drugs target cell
proliferation
-cancer progression is associated with increased genetic instability = increased
probability of drug resistance
cells mutations contributing to tumor progression
-normal cell
-first mutation = cell seems normal but is predisposed to proliferate excessively
-second mutation = cell begins to proliferate too much but is otherwise normal
-third mutation = cell proliferates rapidly; it also undergoes structural changes
-fourth or later mutation = cell grows uncontrollably and looks obviously deranged
tumor growth
-relationship between growth fraction and drug action = gompertzian growth
-growth fraction = the fraction of tumor cells that are actively dividing
-growth fraction of a tumor decreases when the tumor size becomes too large
-since drugs only target dividing cells = tumors are most chem-sensitive when they are
small and have a high growth fraction
-concept = adjuvant therapy
T/F: the growth fraction of a tumor (fraction of tumor cells actively dividing)
DECREASES when the tumor size becomes too large
True
gompertzian growth
-Early growth is exponential, but as tumor gets bigger, growth slows due to decreased
nutrients/blood supply
