Download Cancer 1

Cancer/Chemo
Henderson
Cancer FACTS
• One in three people will face cancer in their lifetime
• People in this room are dealing with cancer right now
(parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle…)
• 25% of cancer survivors in the United States have school
aged children
• Cancer is a general name for 100+ diseases
• Cancer often moves to other parts of the body where they
grow and form new tumors. The process of spreading
cancer is METASTASIS.
• Many cancers form solid tumors/masses of tissues.
However, some like leukemia, generally do not.
What is cancer?
• Abnormal cell growth.
• Proliferating= reproducing rapidly.
• The abnormal growth occurs because the
cell undergoes a mutation.
• When cancer occurs, the mutated cells grow
out of control into other tissues.
How do we treat cancer?
• Surgery
• Radiation
• Chemotherapy
• Both radiation and Chemotherapy are
Cytotoxic= destructive to cells.
MORE cancer facts
• Chemotherapy:
– Medicine used to treat cancer.
– Average cost for a 3-4 MONTH treatment is
$20,000-$26,000.
– Medicines specifically sold in pharmacies for 1
year of treatments averages $100,000.
– Treatments can be DAILY, WEEKLY, OR
MONTHLY.
Chemotherapy
• Chemotherapy is designed to only kill off
rapidly producing cells. This makes
Chemotherapy effective in treating cancer
although it also affects other human body
cells that produce rapidly.
Human cells that produce rapidly
• Hair and Skin
– Alopecia, rashes, sensitive skin
• Bone Marrow= RBC, WBC, Platelets
– Anemia (drowsiness), immunodeficiency,
hemorrhage/bleeding/bruising.
• GI= mucous membranes (stomach lining,
intestines, mouth, anus)
– Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, sore mouth
Understanding Antimetabolites
• The term metabolism refers to the many chemical
reactions that take place in our bodies.
• Metabolite is a general term for the organic
compounds that are synthesized, recycled, or broken
down in cells.
– Examples include vitamins and amino acids.
• Metabolites that are the end products of a process or
pathway may be excreted by the body.
– An example is urea, the end product of protein
metabolism, excreted by the body as a component of
urine.
Antimetabolites
• Rapidly proliferating neoplasms.
• With specific cancer medications, extra precaution
needs to take place such as wearing GLOVES.
Pay close attention to the outside of the stock
bottle (it will tell you what precautions you should
take) when handling cancer/chemo drugs.
Brand
Generic
Efudex/Adrucil
Fluorouracil
6-MP
Mercaptopurine
Mexate
Methotrexate
Xeloda
Cepacitabine
Alkylating Agents
• Directly damage DNA to keep the cell from
reproducing.
• Because they damage DNA, they have long term
damage on bone marrow.
• Used mainly to treat leukemia, testicular/ovarian
cancers, and bladder cancer.
• AS A TECHNICIAN, IF YOU ACCIDENTALY
HAVE SKIN CONTACT, IMMEDIATELY
WASH HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER
AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Alkylating Agents
• Sometimes called “non-cell cycle specific”.
Interfere with the DNA of the cell to make
them a chemical weapon. They cause some
additional side effects/problems such as
infertility and leukemia.
Brand
Generic
CYTOXAN
CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE
PARAPLATIN
CARBOPLATIN
Hormone dependent cancer
treatments
• Used to treat cancers such as breast cancer
• Blocks the effect of estrogen in target
tissues such as the breast.
Brand
Generic
Nolvadex
Tamoxifen
Depo-Provera
Medroxyprogesterone
Arimidex
Anastrozole
Casodex
Bicalutamine
Depo-Testosterone
testosterone