Antineoplastic Agents Action and Toxicities

Classification of antineoplastic agents by their selective toxicities toward oxygenated and hypoxic tumor cells.

The cytotoxicities of a number of antineoplastic agents to oxygenated and hypoxic EMT6 mouse mammary tumor cells in culture were examined. Based on the relative sensitivities of cells under aerobic and hypoxic conditions, drugs were placed into three categories. Drugs that were preferentially toxic to cells under oxygenated conditions were classified as type 1 agents; this group includes bleomy...

Antineoplastic Agents

Antibacterial activities of antineoplastic agents.

Fourteen antineoplastic agents were examined for in vitro antibacterial activity against 101 aerobic and anaerobic bacterial isolates representing indigenous human microflora and selected opportunistic pathogens. Only 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin, and etoposide demonstrated inhibitory effects at achievable plasma concentrations, while the remaining drugs lacked appreciable antibacterial activities.

Handling of injectable antineoplastic agents.

Although the clinical toxicity of antineoplastic drugs has been well documented there is little or no information on the problems that may arise on the handling and mishandling of such agents. This paper attempts to highlight the importance of taking precautions to prevent adverse effects resulting from contact with cytotoxic drugs during handling and to suggest a practical guide for the handli...

Interactions between antineoplastic agents and ARV drugs.

Drug-drug interactions can be a serious complication of taking multiple medications and account for 3% to 5% of all in-hospital medication errors.1 The consequences of drug interactions vary, ranging from excessive blood levels causing drug toxicities to therapeutic failures following sub-optimal blood levels. While the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of...