Cancer Medicines Information

 

Cancer Medicines

Next to heart disease, cancer is the major killer of mankind. Irrespective of the etiology, cancer is basically a disease of cells characterized by the loss of normal cellular growth, maturation and multiplication, and thus homeostasis is disturbed. The main features of cancer are: (i) excessive cell growth, usually in the form of tumor; (ii) invasiveness, i.e., the ability to grow into surrounding tissue; (iii) undifferentiated cells or tissues, more similar to embryonic tissues; (iv) the ability to metastasize or spread to new sites and establish new growths.

Classification Of Cancer Drugs

They may be classed into six major groups: (1) Alkylating agents; (2) Antimetabolites; (3) Natural products; (4) Hormones and antagonists; (5) Radioactive isotopes; and (6) Miscellaneous agents.

Alkylating Agents
NITROGEN MUSTARDS
Mustine hydrochloride: The major indications for this alkylating agent are in the treatment of disseminated Hodgkin\'s disease and other lymphomas.
Chlorambucil: Chlorambucil is a derivative of mustine and is the slowest-acting, least toxic nitrogen mustard in clinical use.

ETHYLENEIMINES 
Triethylenethiophosphoramide 
Thiotepa may be used by intracavitary instillations in the treatment of malignant effusions.

ALKYLSUPHONATES 
Busulphan: This agent has a selective depressant action on the bone marrow, and is used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

TRIAZINES 
Dacarbazine (DTIC). It has an alkylating action, and inhibits the synthesis of RNA and protein more than that of DNA. Dacarbazine produces market nausea and myelosuppression, and is mainly used and myelosuppression, and is mainly used for melanoma, Hodgkin’s disease and soft tissue sarcomas.

NITROSOUREAS
The nitrosoureas have activity against a wide range of human malignancies. Carmustine (BCNU), lomustine (CCNU) and semustine (methyl-CCNU) have a high lipid solubility, and cross the blood-brain barrier effectively. This property enables their use in meningeal leukemia and brain tumors.

PYRIMIDINE ANALOGUES 
Fluorouracil (5-FU, adrucil). This is a fluorinated pyrimidine analogue. Fluorouracil in the body is converted into ribosyl and deoxyribosyl metabolites.
Fluorouracil is extensively used in the treatment of colorectal carcinoma. It is also effective in gastric and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Other responsive tumors are carcinoma of the breast, bladder, ovary, uterine cervix and hepatoma.

PURINE ANALOGUES 
Mercaptopurine (purinethol, 6-MP). This agent is the thioanalogue of hypoxanthine, which is part of synthetic pathway of adenine and guanine.