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Antineoplastics are drugs that inhibit and combat the development of neoplasms.

In the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System
Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System is used for the taxonomic classification of Medications. It is controlled by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, and was first published in 1976....
, they are classified under L01D
ATC code L01

L01 Antineoplastic agents is a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.It is part of the anatomical group ATC code L....
.
adverse health effects associated with antineoplastic agents (cancer chemotherapy drugs, cytotoxic drugs) in cancer patients and some non-cancer patients treated with these drugs are well-documented. The very nature of antineoplastic agents makes them harmful to healthy constantly dividing cells and tissues, as well as the cancerous cells.






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Antineoplastics are drugs that inhibit and combat the development of neoplasms.

In the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System
Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System is used for the taxonomic classification of Medications. It is controlled by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, and was first published in 1976....
, they are classified under L01D
ATC code L01

L01 Antineoplastic agents is a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.It is part of the anatomical group ATC code L....
.

Health effects/occupational exposure

The adverse health effects associated with antineoplastic agents (cancer chemotherapy drugs, cytotoxic drugs) in cancer patients and some non-cancer patients treated with these drugs are well-documented. The very nature of antineoplastic agents makes them harmful to healthy constantly dividing cells and tissues, as well as the cancerous cells. For cancer patients with a life-threatening disease, there is a great benefit to treatment with these agents. However, for the healthcare workers that are exposed to antineoplastic agents as part of their work practice, precautions should be taken to eliminate or reduce exposure as much as possible.There already is a limitation in cytotoxics dissolution in Australia and the United States to 20 dissolutions per pharmacist/nurse, since pharmacists that prepare these drugs or nurses that may prepare and/or administer them are the two occupational groups with the highest potential exposure to antineoplastic agents. In addition, physicians and operating room personnel may also be exposed through the treatment of patients. Hospital staff, such as shipping and receiving personnel, custodial workers, laundry workers, and waste handlers, all have potential exposure to these drugs during the course of their work. The increased use of antineoplastic agents in veterinary oncology also puts these workers at risk for exposure to these drugs.

Modes of action

There are many classes of antineoplastics:
  • Alkylating agents
  • Antimetabolite
    Antimetabolite

    An antimetabolite is a chemical that enzyme inhibition the use of a metabolite, which is another chemical that is part of normal metabolism. Such substances are often similar in structure to the metabolite that they interfere with, such as the antifolates that interfere with the use of folic acid....
    s
  • Antimitotics: bind to tubulin and inhibit spindle dynamics and thus block cell division
  • Inhibition of topoisomerase II
    Topoisomerase

    Topoisomerases are isomerase enzymes that act on the DNA topology of DNA....
    , thereby stopping DNA from being unwound, which is required for both DNA replication and RNA/protein synthesis.
  • Generating free radicals
    Radical (chemistry)

    In chemistry, radicals are atoms, molecules or ions with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. These unpaired electrons are usually highly chemical reaction, so radicals are likely to take part in chemical reactions....
    .


Examples

  • actinomycin
    Actinomycin

    The actinomycins are a class of polypeptide antibiotics isolated from soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, of which the most significant is actinomycin D....
     .
    • The most important immunosuppressant
      Immunosuppressant

      An immunosuppressant is a substance that performs immunosuppression of the immune system. They may either be exogenous, as immunosuppressive drugs, or endogenous, as e....
       from this group is dactinomycin, which is used in kidney transplantation
      Kidney transplantation

      Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney in a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the recipient organ....
      s.
  • anthracycline
    Anthracycline

    Anthracyclines are a class of drugs used in chemotherapy derived from Streptomyces bacteria .These compounds are used to treat a wide range of cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, and breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and lung cancers....
    s
    • doxorubicin
      Doxorubicin

      Doxorubicin is a pharmaceutical used in cancer chemotherapy. It is an anthracycline antibiotic, closely related to the natural product daunorubicin, and like all anthracyclines it intercalation DNA....
       
    • daunorubicin
      Daunorubicin

      Daunorubicin or daunomycin is chemotherapy of the anthracycline family that is given as a treatment for some types of cancer. It is most commonly used to treat specific types of leukaemia ....
       
    • Valrubicine
    • Idarubicine
    • epirubicin
      Epirubicin

      Epirubicin is an anthracycline medication used for chemotherapy. It is marketed by Pfizer under the trade name Ellence in the US and Pharmorubicin or Epirubicin "Ebewe" elsewhere....
       , which also inhibit topoisomerase
      Topoisomerase

      Topoisomerases are isomerase enzymes that act on the DNA topology of DNA....
       II)
  • other cytotoxic antibiotics
    • bleomycin
      Bleomycin

      Bleomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus. Bleomycin refers to a family of structurally related compounds....
       . Bleomycin acts in unique way through oxidation of a DNA-bleomycin-Fe(II) complex and forming free radicals, which induce damage and chromosomal aberrations.
    • plicamycin
      Plicamycin

      Plicamycin is an antineoplastic antibiotic produced by Streptomyces....
       
    • mitomycin
      Mitomycin

      The mitomycins are a family of aziridine-containing Secondary metabolite isolated from Streptomyces lavendulae. One of these compounds, mitomycin C, finds use as a chemotherapy agent by virtue of its antitumour antibiotic activity....
       


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