Cancer treatment is a very broad matter in medicine as it includes a range of these medicines classified according to different types of cancer, stages and genetic profiles. Hence here is a detailed A to Z glossary of cancer treatment drugs along with their classes and definitions to better analyze them in terms of their functions and uses.
- Alkylating agents: A type of chemotherapy drug that works by adding alkyl groups to DNA, disrupting replication by cancer cells. Examples include cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide.
- Anastrozole: An aromatase inhibitor, used for hormone treatment in breast cancer, reduces estrogen and thereby slows the growth of estrogen-sensitive tumors.
- Atezolizumab: Monoclonal antibody that inhibits the PD-L1 protein for improved immune response against cancer cells.
- Bevacizumab: New blood vessels form an angiogenesis inhibitor, which prevents the tumor from receiving nutrients and oxygen.
- Bleomycin: An antibiotic for the treatment of tumors in Hodgkin lymphoma, testicular carcinoma, and some types of head and neck cancer.
- Brentuximab vedotin: an antibody-drug conjugate that targets the CD30 protein and is used in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.
- Carboplatin: A platinum chemotherapy agent used to treat malignant diseases of the ovaries, lungs, and testicles by damaging the DNA in cancer cells.
- Capecitabine: Oral chemotherapy that is metabolized in the body to 5-fluorouracil, used for breast and colorectal cancer.
- Cetuximab: Monoclonal antibody that works against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is used to suppress cancer cell growth in head and neck cancer and colorectal cancer.
- Doxorubicin: An antibiotic of the anthracycline class that inhibits DNA replication in cancer cells. Its applications are breast cancer, bladder cancer and many more.
- Daratumumab: A monoclonal antibody directed against the CD38 protein, used in multiple myeloma treatment.
- Dasatinib: A tyrosine kinase inhibitor for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Etoposide: A topoisomerase inhibitor that prevents DNA from unwinding. Used for lung cancer, testicular cancer, and some types of lymphoma.
- Erlotinib: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting EGFR used for non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer.
- Everolimus: mTOR inhibitor used for kidney cancer, breast cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors.
- Fluorouracil (5-FU): A pyrimidine analog that inhibits DNA synthesis; Mainly used in colorectal, stomach and breast cancer.
- Fulvestrant: A selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) for use in hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
- Filgrastim: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor used to boost white blood cell counts among patients on chemotherapy.
- Gemcitabine: A nucleoside analog that interferes with DNA replication, approved for pancreatic, lung, and breast cancer.
- Goserelin: a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, part of hormone therapy in the treatment of prostate and breast cancer.
- Gilteritinib: A tyrosine kinase inhibitor primarily used for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
- Herceptin (trastuzumab): Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets HER2-positive breast or gastric carcinomas.
- Hydroxyurea: Ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor indicated for chronic myelogenous leukemia and head and neck cancer.
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplant medications include agents such as cyclophosphamide and fludarabine, and these agents prepare patients for stem cell transplantation.
- Imatinib: A tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some adults with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).
- Ipilimumab: CTLA-4 inhibitor blocks the action of the human immune system in triggering melanoma and other cancers.
- Ixazomib is a proteasome inhibitor that works against multiple myeloma by inhibiting protein recycling in cancer cells.
- JAK inhibitors: These target the Janus kinase pathway for some myeloproliferative disorders and also as investigational treatments for solid tumors.
- Jemperli (dostarlimab): PD-1 inhibitor used for endometrial malignancies and any other tumors that lack mismatch repair.
- Keytruda (pembrolizumab): PD-1 inhibitor. It is now being used in many cancers including melanoma, lung cancer and head and neck cancer.
- Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) – also known as HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate for HER2-positive breast cancer.
- Kinase inhibitors: A broad class of drugs. These include drugs such as sorafenib and sunitinib that target a variety of kinase pathways in cancer cells.
- Lenalidomide: An immunomodulatory agent given in case of multiple myeloma and some lymphomas.
- Letrozole: An aromatase inhibitor that reduces estrogen levels in hormone-sensitive breast cancer.
- Lapatinib: A tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed for HER2-positive breast cancer.
- Methotrexate: An antifolate whose main action is inhibition of DNA synthesis; Leukemia, breast cancer, and other cancers are treated with this chemotherapeutic agent.
- Melphalan: An alkylating agent used in multiple myeloma and for conditioning in HSCT.
- Mechlorethamine: A nitrogen mustard-aliphatic alkylating agent that is highly effective against Hodgkin lymphoma and many other malignant diseases.
- Nivolumab: A PD-1 inhibitor that is useful in the treatment of melanoma, lung, and kidney cancer.
- Nilotinib: A therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that uses a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
- Neratinib: This is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in HER2-positive breast cancer.
- Oxaliplatin chemotherapy: A platinum-based chemotherapy drug for colorectal cancer.
- Ofatumumab: a monoclonal antibody that binds CD20 and is biologically applicable in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
- Olaparib: a PARP inhibitor for the treatment of BRCA-mutated ovarian and breast cancer.
- Paclitaxel: A microtubule stabilizer used in breast, ovarian, and lung cancer.
- Pemetrexed: An antifolate cancer therapy for use in non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.
- Panitumumab: A humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and used in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
- Quizartinib: A FLT3 inhibitor used to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in relapsed or refractory cases.
- Qinlock (ripretinib): an inhibitor used as a tyrosine kinase switch-control in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).
- Rituximab: A monoclonal antibody targeting CD20 is useful for both non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
- Regorafenib: A multikinase inhibitor used against colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and liver cancer.
- Ramucirumab: A VEGFR2 inhibitor used in the treatment of gastric, lung, and colorectal cancer.
- Sorafenib: A multikinase inhibitor indicated in liver, kidney and thyroid cancer.
- Sunitinib: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat kidney cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
- Selinexar: A selective inhibitor of nuclear export used in multiple myeloma and some lymphomas.
- Tamoxifen: Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer drug that acts as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM).
- Trastuzumab: monoclonal antibody used against HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers.
- Temozolomide: an alkylating agent against glioblastoma and other brain cancers.
- Uracil mustard: An alkylating agent indicated in certain leukemias and lymphomas.
- Umbralisib: A delta PI3-kinase inhibitor that is effective in certain types of B-cell malignancies, including lymphoma.
- Vincristine: A microtubule inhibitor used in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers.
- Venetoclax: A BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
- Vorinostat: An HDAC inhibitor for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
- Treatments for Waldenström Macroglobulinemia: Include targeted therapy, such as Ibrutinib, and immunotherapy agents for this rare member of non-Hodgkin lymphoma types.
- Xeloda (Capecitabine): An oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil that is indicated for treating breast and colorectal cancers.
- Xgeva (Denosumab): A RANK ligand inhibitor that prevents the occurrence of skeletal-related events in cancers that metastasize to the bone.
- Yervoy (Ipilimumab): A CTLA-4 inhibitor used in therapies for melanoma and other cancers.
- Yondelis (Trabectedin): A chemotherapeutic agent effective against soft tissue sarcomas and ovarian cancer.
- Zoladex (Goserelin): Hormone therapy used in prostate and breast cancers.
- Ziv-Aflibercept: VEGF inhibitor that is used for metastatic colorectal cancer.
- Zoledronic Acid: A bisphosphonate that may be used to strengthen bones and prevent losses in fractures during cancers that metastasize to the bone.
