♦Aminoglutethimide (a-meen-oh-glow-teth’-i-mide) Cytadren Pregnancy Category D Mechanism of Action Inhibits adrenocortical steroid synthesis by blocking the production of adrenal glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, estrogens, and androgens. Indications Suppression of adrenal function in…
♦Amifostine (a-mee-phos’-tin) Ethyol Pregnancy Category C Mechanism of Action Amifostine is dephosphorylated at the tissue site by alkaline phosphatase to form free thiol. Once inside the cell, the free thiol…
♦Altretamine (al-treh’-tah-meen) Hexalen Pregnancy Category D Mechanism of Action Unknown Indications ♦ Palliative treatment for recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer after first-line therapy with cisplatin or alkylating agent; use as…
♦Aldesleukin (al-des-loo’-ken) Proleukin, interleukin-2 Pregnancy Category C Mechanism of Action Inhibits tumor growth; exerts immunologic effects by activating the cellular immunity to increase lymphocytes, eosinophils, platelets, and cytokines, including tumor…
FDA Pregnancy Categories The Food and Drug Administration has established five categories to indicate the potential for a systemically absorbed drug to cause birth defects. The key differentiation among the…
Patient Education Patient education is an important component of care. An increasing number of cancer patients are undergoing multiple treatment modalities, and they need knowledge and skills to cope with…
Management of Toxic Effects of Chemotherapy Chemotherapy, like any medication, has the potential to cause side effects. Unique to these agents, however, are the nature and extent of the injury…
Management of Hypersensitivity Reactions and Extravasation Hypersensitivity Reactions Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) are common in patients receiving chemotherapy. These reactions, which may be local or systemic, are believed to be immunologically…
Preparation, Administration, and Handling of Chemotherapy Ensuring Patient Safety: Preventing Chemotherapy Errors The chemotherapy administration process provides many opportunities for various health care professionals to make mistakes. The error may…
Clinical Trials The goals of clinical cancer research are to improve the therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients and to improve the quality of care. Important progress in cancer therapy has…
