Types of chemotherapy drugs
There are many types of chemotherapy drugs out there that work to combat against cancer. Doctors have classified chemotherapy drugs into many different groups based on features like how they work in combination with one and another, their chemical makeup and how they treat cancer.
Alkylating agents
Alkylating agents are common type of chemotherapy drugs that target DNA in order to stop the cancer cells from multiplying. This type of drugs is not a phase. These agents are used to treat chronic leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, sarcoma, multiple myeloma, and even lung, breast, and ovary cancers. However, the major downside of this chemotherapy drugs is when it targets your DNA, it also causes damage to your bone marrow.
Depending on the amount of dosage of this type of drugs there’s also a risk of leukemia involved. The risk gets lower if the dose is lower, but if the doses are higher, so are the risks. The following are a few of the different types of alkylating agents. We’ll mention the most common type which is nitrogen mustards.
- nitrogen mustards: known as mechlorethamine (nitrogen mustard), chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), ifosfamide, and melphalan nitrosoureas: which include streptozocin, lomustine, and carmustine (BCNU)
Drugs like cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxalaplatin are sometimes combined with alkylating agents because they destroy cells in a similar way. These drugs are also less likely to cause leukemia than the alkylating agents.
Antimetabolites
Antimetabolites are considered another class of drugs that target DNA and RNA growth. They target cells only during the S phase. Most common antimetabolites are 5-FU or known as 5-fluorouracil. It’s commonly prescribed for leukemia, breast tumors, ovary, and the intestinal tract.
The next group of chemotherapy drugs is called anti-tumor antibiotics, and the first of these are anthracyclines. These antibiotics work to get in the way of the enzymes that work with the DNA copying. For this drug, all the phases of the cell cycle are involved. And because of that fact, this drug is used for many different types of cancer. However, one of the major side effects is that it can cause permanent damage to your heart if your dose is too high, and is why there is a lifetime limitation on the dosage.
• Some of these drugs include daunorubicin, epirubicin, doxorubicin (Adriamycin®), and idarubicin.
• Others include bleomycin, actinomycin-D, and mitomycin-C.
Another form of anti-tumor antibiotics is mitoxantrone which has the same effect as doxorubicin however it can also damage your heart. What’s more, it also acts like one of the topoisomerase II inhibitor’s below and can cause leukemia. This drug is often used for prostate cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma.
Topoisomerase inhibitors are drugs that get in the way of the enzymes called topoisomerases. These enzymes work to separate the DNA strands to be copied. These drugs are used to treat certain forms of leukemia, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and others. And this drug has two groups; type I and type II. However, some of the inhibitors can cause a secondary cancer called myelogenous leukemia, and this can be seen 2-3 years after the drug has been taken.
• Some topoisomerase I inhibitors are topotecan and irinotecan (CPT-11).
• Examples of topoisomerase II inhibitors are etoposide (VP-16) and teniposide.
The next types of chemotherapy drugs are also inhibitors and are called mitotic inhibitors. These however are from plant alkaloids. What they do is help to stop mitosis or rather, get in the way of the enzymes as they try to produce the proteins that the cells need to make new. Although this works primarily in the M phase of the cell cycle, it can also do so in all phases.
These drugs are used to treat a whole scope of cancers like breast cancer, lung cancer, myelomas, lymphomas, and even leukemia. However, they are also known to sometimes cause damage to your nerves depending on the dose taken. These drugs are also split into groups called the taxanes, epothilones, the vinca alkaloids, and estramustine.
The final types of chemotherapy drugs we will cover are called corticosteroids. These drugs are made out of the natural steroids that we produce ourselves as well as synthetic hormones. These steroids are very helpful in treating cancers like lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and some leukemia, as well as other illnesses you may have. What they do is either kill or slow down the cancer cells and their growth. They are also used to help alleviate certain symptoms from other chemotherapy drugs like nausea and vomiting, and in these cases are referred to as anti-emetics. What’s more, steroids are used to treat allergic reactions that some people have from chemotherapy.
• Some examples of these steroids are prednisone, dexamethasone, and methylprednisolone.
Disclaimer: Please do not treat this post as a professional advice. As always with any medication please consult your doctor.
NOTICE: Some of the above mentioned chemotherapy drugs are registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.