anti-cancer drugs

The majority of chemotherapeutic drugs can be divided in to alkylating agents, antimetabolites, anthracyclines, plant alkaloids, topoisomerase inhibitors, and other antitumour agents. All of these drugs affect cell division or DNA synthesis and function in some way.

Some newer agents do not directly interfere with DNA. These include monoclonal antibodies and the new tyrosine kinase inhibitors e.g. imatinib mesylate (Gleevec or Glivec), which directly targets a molecular abnormality in certain types of cancer (chronic myelogenous leukemia, gastrointestinal stromal tumors). These are examples of targeted therapies.

In addition, some drugs that modulate tumor cell behaviour without directly attacking those cells may be used. Hormone treatments fall into this category of adjuvant therapies.

Types

 alkylating agents
 anti-metabolites
 plant alkaloids and terpenoids

• Vinca alcaloids
• podophyllotoxin
• taxanes

 topoisomerases inhibitors
 antitumor antibiotics

References

 Kamb A, Wee S, Lengauer C. Why is cancer drug discovery so difficult? Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2007 Feb;6(2):115-20. PMID: 17159925

 Benson JD, Chen YN, Cornell-Kennon SA, Dorsch M, Kim S, Leszczyniecka M, Sellers WR, Lengauer C. Validating cancer drug targets. Nature. 2006 May 25;441(7092):451-6. PMID: 16724057

 Sager JA, Lengauer C. New paradigms for cancer drug discovery. Cancer Biol Ther. 2003 Jul-Aug;2(4):452-5. PMID: 14508120

 Sager JA, Lengauer C. New paradigms for cancer drug discovery. Cancer Biol Ther. 2003 Jul-Aug;2(4 Suppl 1):S178-81. PMID: 14508097