- Anticancer drugs, are medications used to treat cancer by killing, shrinking, or slowing the growth of cancer cells.
- Any drug that is effective in the treatment of malignant, or cancerous, disease is said to be anticancer drug.
- Anticancer drugs are also known as also known as antineoplastic drugs
- The main goals of anticancer drugs are to:
- Eliminate cancer cells
- Shrink the tumor
- Prevent cancer from spreading and
- Relieve symptoms from cancer
Classification:
- Alkylating agents:
- Nitrogen mustards: Mechlorethamine, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, melphalan, chlorambucil
- Alkyl sulphonate: Busulphan
- Nitrosoureas: Carmustine, lomustine
- Triazene: Dacarbazine
- Ethylnimine: Thiotepa
- Platinum-containing compounds: Cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin
- Antimetabolites:
- Folate antagonist: Methotrexate
- Purine antagonists: 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP), 6-thioguanine (6-TG), azathioprine
- Pyrimidine antagonists: 5-FU, cytarabine, capecitabine, gemcitabine
- Microtubul damaging agents:
- Vinca alkaloids: Vinblastine, vincristine
- Taxanes: Paclitaxel, docetaxel
- Estramustine
- Epipodophyllotoxins: Etoposide, teniposide
- Camptothecins: Topotecan, irinotecan
- Antibiotics: Actinomycin D, bleomycin, mitomycin C, doxorubicin, daunorubicin
- Enzyme: l-Asparaginase
- Miscellaneous agents: Hydroxyurea, tretinonin
- Targeted drugs:
- Angiogenesis inhibitors: Sunitinib, bevacizumab
- Tyrosine protein kinase inhibitors: Imatinib, nilotinib
- EGF receptor inhibitors: Gefitinib, cetuximab, erotinib
- Proteasome inhibitor: Bortezomib
- Monoclonal antibody: Rituximab
- Hormones and antagonists:
- Oestrogens: Ethinyl estradiol, fosfestrol
- Selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs): Tamoxifen
- Selective oestrogen receptor downregulators (SERDs): Fulvestrant
- Aromatase inhibitors: Anastrozole, letrozole
- Progestins: Hydroxyprogesterone caproate, medroxyprogesterone acetate
- Antiandrogen: Flutamide
- 5-Reductase inhibitor: Finasteride
- GnRH analogues: Buserelin, goserelin, nafarelin
- Corticosteroids: Prednisolone and others (Natural products: Vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel (from plants), doxorubicin, daunorubicin, mitomycin, L-asparginase from micro-organisms).