Chemotherapeutic drugs
Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Chemotherapeutic drugs (pronunciation: kee-moh-thair-uh-pyoo-tik druhgz) are a category of pharmacological agents used in chemotherapy to treat various forms of cancer. These drugs work by targeting rapidly dividing cells, a characteristic common to cancer cells.
Etymology
The term "chemotherapeutic" is derived from the Greek words "chemia" meaning chemistry and "therapeia" meaning healing. The term "drugs" is derived from the Old French "drogue", possibly from Middle Dutch "droge vat", which means "dry barrels", referring to medicinal plants preserved in them.
Types of Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Chemotherapeutic drugs can be classified into several categories based on their mechanism of action, including:
- Alkylating Agents: These drugs work by damaging the DNA of cancer cells to prevent them from reproducing.
- Antimetabolites: These drugs mimic nutrients that the cancer cells need to grow, thereby inhibiting their growth.
- Antitumor Antibiotics: These drugs interfere with enzymes involved in DNA replication.
- Topoisomerase Inhibitors: These drugs interfere with the action of topoisomerases, enzymes that help separate DNA strands during replication.
- Mitotic Inhibitors: These drugs prevent cancer cells from undergoing mitosis, or cell division.
Side Effects
Chemotherapeutic drugs can cause a range of side effects, including nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and fatigue. These side effects occur because the drugs also affect healthy cells that divide rapidly.
Related Terms
- Oncology: The study of cancer and its treatment, including the use of chemotherapeutic drugs.
- Radiation Therapy: A treatment for cancer that uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy: A type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer.
This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.