Classification of Anticancer Drugs
Start with the big picture
Cell-cycle specificity helps explain how anticancer agents may be selected and scheduled: cycle-nonspecific drugs can act on dividing and resting cells, while S-phase agents target DNA synthesis and M-phase agents disrupt mitosis. The topic then organizes drugs by mechanism. Alkylating agents form DNA cross-links; antimetabolites inhibit nucleotide synthesis; and antitumor antibiotics and topoisomerase inhibitors interfere with DNA function. Other classes affect microtubules, endocrine signaling, oncogenic pathways, immune checkpoints, protein degradation, epigenetic regulation, or malignant-cell differentiation. The overview also introduces PARP inhibitors and antibody-based approaches. Together, these categories provide a framework for recognizing how different drug classes act, rather than treating anticancer chemotherapy as a single uniform group.
What you'll learn
- Distinguish cycle-nonspecific drugs from S-phase and M-phase specific agents.
- Group major anticancer drugs by their principal cellular target or mechanism.
- Describe how alkylating agents, antimetabolites, and topoisomerase inhibitors affect cancer cells.
- Identify classes that target endocrine signaling, oncogenic pathways, or immune checkpoints.
- Recognize newer mechanistic groupings, including proteasome, epigenetic, and PARP inhibitors.
Continue your study
Work through the complete notes and reinforce the topic with the study tools available in the full lesson.
