Short classification of some chemotherapeutic agents

Antineoplastic medicine is classified based on the mode of action and also the phase of the cell cycle in that the drug is active. This classification isn't absolute; chances are that more than one mechanism is involved. Multiple intracellular sites may be implicated and never limited to specific cycle events.

However, it is usually the rapidly dividing cells that are most responsive to these drugs. Chemotherapeutic drugs that are best throughout a particular phase of the cycle are classified as cell cycle-specific drugs.

Cell cycle-specific agents

Cancer malignancy have proliferating and resting cells. Proliferating cells should be in cycle for phase-specific agents to result in their death. Because not every cells are in cycle simultaneously, cycle-specific chemotherapy is run in divided doses or like a continuous infusion.

These techniques of administration facilitate the lysis of cells because they enter certain phases of the cycle. The amount of cells in cycle is called the development fraction. Cell cycle-specific drugs therefore lessen the growth fraction of the tumor.

Antimetabolites

Antimetabolites are synthetically formulated to imitate the naturally produced metabolites, purines, pyrimidines, or folates required for the synthesis of nucleic acids and DNA. This results in cell death. They exert their effects throughout the S phase of the cell life cycle and therefore are best against tumors that have a superior growth fraction.

Relatively quiescent tissues have low growth fractions around 0.01, whereas rapidly proliferating cells for example those of the gastrointestinal tract, mucosal epithelium, and also the hair follicles have growth fractions around 0.1.

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