n. an *anthracycline antibiotic that interferes with DNA synthesis and is used in the treatment of acute leukaemias and AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma. Possible side-effects include loss of hair and damage to bone marrow and heart muscle.
n. any of 500 or so antibiotics synthesized or isolated from species of Streptomyces. *Doxorubicin is the most important member of this group of compounds, which have wide activity, particularly against breast cancer and lymphoma; others include *daunorubicin and epirubicin. See cytotoxic drug.... anthracycline
any drug that damages or destroys cells: usually refers to those drugs used to treat various types of cancer. There are various classes of cytotoxic drugs, including *alkylating agents (e.g. *chlorambucil, *cyclophosphamide, *melphalan), *antimetabolites (e.g. *fluorouracil, *methotrexate, *mercaptopurine), *anthracycline antibiotics (e.g. *doxorubicin, *daunorubicin, *dactinomycin), *vinca alkaloids, and platinum compounds (e.g. *carboplatin, *cisplatin). Other cytotoxic drugs include *taxanes and *topoisomerase inhibitors, and some *monoclonal antibodies (e.g. *bevacizumab, *trastuzumab) have cytotoxic activity. All these drugs offer successful treatment in some conditions and help reduce symptoms and prolong life in others. Cytotoxic drugs destroy cancer cells by interfering with cell division, but they also affect normal cells, particularly in bone marrow (causing *myelosuppression), hair follicles (causing hair loss), the stomach lining (resulting in severe nausea and vomiting), mouth (causing soreness), and fetal tissue (they should not be taken during the later stages of pregnancy). Dosage must therefore be carefully controlled. See also chemotherapy.... cytotoxic drug
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