What is anthracycline?

Anthracycline is a class of antibiotics derived from streptomyces bacteria; Medicines in this class are commonly used in chemotherapy. Anthracycins work by damaging enzymes that facilitate DNA replication in tumor cells. Their function is not specific to any phase of cell growth, so they are effective against many types of cancer. In the United States, anthracycles are used in more than half of chemotherapeutic courses for pediatric cancer and are often used to treat breast cancer. Treatment is effective, but brings the risk of heart side effects that particularly harmful to women and children.

The first anthracycline, daunorubicin, was isolated at the age of 60 in France and Italy. The second, doxorubicin, was discovered in 1967. The search for alternative treatments that caused less side effects has led to the development of many other anthracyclines, but the original two are still common in the treatment of chemotherapy.

The most accurate side effect of anthracycline treatment is cardiotoxicity. Medicines can damageIT heart tissue and disrupt the heart function, resulting in a condition that degenerates over time. Thirty years after treatment, the risk of heart -related deaths in patients who received anthraquers, according to the National Cancer Institute in the United States three times higher than those who did not. Anthracycins also tend to cause greater damage to female hearts than on male hearts, and cardnotoxicity is particularly concerned about the treatment of children due to cumulative effects over time.

However, the effects of cardiotoxicity can be prevented. A study published in September 2010 found that the administration of dexrazoxane immediately from anthracycline treatment could protect the heart without the effectiveness of anthracycline in the fight against cancer. Study was small and specific to one method of treatment; Further research is underway, confirmed findings and study the effectiveness of drugs with other types of anthracycline treatment.

Another problem is that some cancers are resistant to the treatment of anthracycles. In January 2010, scientists identified two genes that showed excessive expression of tumors with anthracycline resistance. If laboratory scientists have access to the method for testing abnormalities in two genes, these findings can be used to predict resistance so that patients with resistant tumors can receive different treatment and save side effects of anthracyclines.