Classification of Chemotherapy Drugs: Which cancers can they treat?

Chemotherapy is a well-known treatment that involves anti-cancer drugs. The chemotherapy drugs are generally released by injection or infusion in the bloodstream, after which they circulate throughout the body and kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are of various types with varying effect profiles. Guided by Dr. Amit Gandhi, this blog is aimed to provide a better understanding of the classification of chemotherapy drugs and the type of cancer for which they should be used.

Alkylating Agents

Alkylating agents were among the first chemotherapy drugs and are most commonly prescribed today. They introduce alkyls into the cancer cells and prevent further growth and division in the DNA strand. Unlike most other chemotherapy drugs, alkylating agents may work at any step of the cell cycle process; they are most effective when cells divide slowly. They can treat blood cancer, lung cancer, or breast cancer. The most common alkylating agents are thiotepa, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide.

Antimetabolites

Antimetabolites are designed to interfere specifically with cell division. They work their best at the “S-phase” of cell division, a stage in which the cell is more vulnerable to drug attack after unfurling its chromosomes to make copies. Antimetabolites are used to treat many cancer types, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lymphoma, intestinal cancer, and leukemia. Examples of common Antimetabolites are purine antagonists, pyrimidine antagonists, and pyrimidine antagonists.

Plant Alkaloids

As suggested by the name, plant alkaloids are the chemotherapeutic agents derived from plants and natural products. Though the plant alkaloids act throughout the cell cycle, some are more effective during the ‘S’ and ‘M’ phases. Some common plant alkaloids are as follows:

Topoisomerase inhibitors

These plant-derived drugs prevent cell proliferation by inhibiting the enzyme named Topisomerase that helps DNA build its double-helix structure. It stimulates DNA damage and induces cell cycle arrest. Common examples of Topoisomerase inhibitors are vincristine, etoposide, and topotecan.

Mitotic inhibitors

Mitotic inhibitors work by preventing cell mitosis, the process in which a single cell divides into its identical cells, which are known as daughter cells. Examples of mitotic inhibitors are docetaxel and paclitaxel. element 3d free download

Antitumor antibiotic

Antitumor antibiotics shouldn’t be confused with the antibiotics which are prescribed to cure an infection. Instead, the Antitumor antibiotics are non-cell specific drugs designed to unfurl DNA strands in a cancer cell, which prevent cell division. This class of chemotherapy drugs is used to treat lung cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer.

Dr. Amit Gandhi is a renowned oncologist in Mumbai. He is a trusted doctor with great expertise and extensive experience. To this date, he has performed more than four thousand successful cancer surgeries, including the most complicated cases. So contact us today if you asoftech data recovery full version crack rar are referring to a patient in need of chemotherapy treatment or if you need a consultation about your treatment options.