Chemotherapy and Drug Resistance Lecture: Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer

Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy

To kill cancerous cells that have metastasized and require systemic therapies.

Immunotherapy that powers the body's immune system to fight cancer.

The range of drug doses that can treat disease effectively while staying within the safety range for the patient.

They are designed to target specific molecular mechanisms of cancer, leading to more effective and less toxic treatments.

Cancer cells may develop resistance to the drugs, leading to treatment failure.

The dose range of drug that provides safe and effective therapy, lying between the minimum effective dose and the maximum tolerated dose.

They work by causing DNA damage in cancer cells.

It may not be able to repair therapy-induced DNA damage effectively, leading to survival and proliferation of cancerous cells.

They covalently bind to DNA, forming bulky adducts, which interfere with DNA replication and lead to cell death.

Antimetabolites disrupt the normal metabolic processes of cells, inhibiting DNA synthesis and impeding cell division.

The mutagenic nature of cancer treatments can lead to the development of new tumors or contribute to secondary cancers later in life.

The development of new tumors or contribution to secondary cancers later in life.

Alkylating agents and platinum-based drugs, Antimetabolites, Organic drugs.

Organic drugs such as Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Paclitaxel disrupt normal cellular functions to induce cell death in cancer cells.

Understanding the therapeutic window is crucial to ensure safe and effective treatment for patients, avoiding toxicity while achieving therapeutic benefits.

Examples include targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and hormone therapies.

Targeted therapies may be useful because they can specifically target cancer cells while causing less harm to normal cells.

Drug resistance can develop as cancer cells mutate and become resistant to the targeted drugs, leading to treatment failure.

Rationally designed drugs are important because they are specifically designed to target particular molecules or pathways involved in cancer, leading to more effective and less toxic treatments.

The main purpose of immunotherapy is to enhance the body’s immune system to recognize, target, and kill cancerous cells.

Drug resistance in immunotherapy can occur as cancer cells develop mechanisms to evade immune recognition and destruction.

It is important because if a cancerous cell already has a deficient DNA repair system, it may not be able to repair therapy-induced DNA damage effectively, leading to survival and proliferation.

They covalently bind to DNA, forming bulky adducts, which interferes with DNA replication and leads to cell death.

The concern is that the mutagenic nature of cancer treatments can cause additional mutations in the DNA of both cancer and healthy cells, leading to the development of new tumors or secondary cancers.

Alkylating agents and platinum-based drugs, Antimetabolites, and Organic drugs.

Antimetabolites disrupt the normal metabolic processes of cells, inhibiting DNA synthesis and impeding DNA replication and cell division.

The main purpose is to induce apoptosis or cell death in cancerous cells by causing DNA damage.

It is the dose range of a drug that provides safe and effective therapy, lying between the minimum effective dose and the maximum tolerated dose.

Rationally designed drugs can target specific pathways or mechanisms in cancer cells, leading to more effective and less toxic treatment.

They work by causing DNA damage in cancer cells, leading to apoptosis or cell death.

Drug resistance can lead to an increase in the proportion of cancerous cells, reducing the effectiveness of treatments and limiting therapeutic options.