Cell Cycle Chaos
This type of chemotherapy is effective only during a specific phase of the cell cycle.
What is cell cycle specific (CCS)?
Methotrexate exerts its anticancer effects by inhibiting this enzyme.
What is dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)?
A patient receiving cisplatin reports tinnitus and hearing loss. This platinum drug is classically associated with this toxicity.
What is ototoxicity?
This regimen acronym is commonly used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma.
What is ABVD (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine)?
Most chemotherapy dosing is calculated using these measurements based on height and weight (m²) and total drug exposure over time.
What is body surface area (BSA) & area under the curve (AUC)?
A patient with a tumor containing a low number of actively replicating cells would most benefit from this type of chemotherapy.
What is cell cycle nonspecific (CCNS)?
This pyrimidine analogue inhibits thymidylate synthase, depriving cells of thymidine and impairing DNA synthesis.
What is 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)?
A patient develops pins and needles in the extremities after chemotherapy. This adverse effect is most associated with vincristine and oxaliplatin.
What is peripheral neuropathy?
A patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma receives R-CHOP. Which medication in this regimen is actually vincristine?
What is Oncovin®?
This chemotherapy route is used when a drug must bypass the blood-brain barrier and be delivered directly into the subarachnoid space, often for meningeal disease.
What is intrathecal administration?
This phase of the cell cycle is where antimetabolites such as methotrexate and 5-FU primarily work.
What is S-phase?
DAILY DOUBLE!!
A patient is receiving a monoclonal antibody ending in “-mab.” In oncology, this drug category is most commonly classified as what broader treatment strategy?
What is immunotherapy / targeted therapy?
A patient receiving bleomycin develops worsening shortness of breath and restrictive lung disease. This toxicity is most concerning.
What is pulmonary fibrosis?
A patient with colorectal cancer receives FOLFOX. Which platinum analogue in this regimen is most associated with cold-induced neuropathy?
What is Oxaliplatin?
A patient with leukemia receives chemotherapy and the oncologist explains that the medication works best when the tumor burden is low and cancer cells are rapidly dividing. This concept helps explain why chemotherapy is often most effective after surgery or radiation.
What is log kill?
A patient with lymphoma develops severe peripheral neuropathy after treatment. The offending drug works by preventing microtubule polymerization, ultimately arresting mitosis.
What are vinca alkaloids (ex: vincristine)?
A patient with chronic myeloid leukemia is treated with Imatinib. This drug class works primarily by blocking abnormal intracellular signaling proteins responsible for tumor growth.
What is tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)?
A patient receiving doxorubicin develops reduced ejection fraction and symptoms of heart failure. The dose-limiting toxicity associated with this medication is:
What is cardiotoxicity?
DAILY DOUBLE!!
A 42-year-old male with testicular cancer receives a multi-drug regimen. The stem asks: Which medication in this regimen is cell-cycle NONspecific? Which class should immediately come to mind?
What are platinum analogs (ex: cisplatin)?
A chemotherapy regimen is being adjusted because the patient is developing severe immune suppression. The oncologist explains that combining drugs with different mechanisms and toxicities allows for lower doses while maintaining effectiveness. This is the major reason for:
What are chemotherapy regimens (combination therapy)?
A 42-year-old male with metastatic testicular cancer is receiving combination chemotherapy. One medication in his regimen works by stabilizing microtubules and preventing depolymerization, arresting cells during mitosis. Which class is being described?
What are taxanes (ex: paclitaxel, docetaxel)?
A patient with pancreatic cancer is receiving gemcitabine. The medication is incorporated into DNA, allows one additional nucleotide insertion, and then prevents repair because proofreading enzymes fail to detect it. This mechanism is known as:
What is masked termination?
A patient being treated for leukemia develops hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperuricemia, and hypocalcemia shortly after chemotherapy initiation. Which oncologic emergency is occurring?
What is tumor lysis syndrome (TLS)?
A patient with Hodgkin lymphoma receives ABVD. One medication in the regimen is a microtubule inhibitor that prevents polymerization and another is associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Name BOTH drugs.
What are Vinblastine + Bleomycin?
DAILY DOUBLE!!
A patient with cancer receives chemotherapy and initially responds very well. Several months later, the tumor stops responding despite treatment with multiple agents. The oncologist explains that the cancer cells developed an ATP-dependent pump that actively removes medications from the cell, causing multidrug resistance.
This pump is called:
What is P-glycoprotein (Pgp)?