Antimetabolites

ANTIMETABOLITES

The development of drugs with actions on intermediary metabolism of proliferating cells has been important both conceptually and clinically. While biochemical properties unique to all cancer cells have yet to be discovered, there are a number of quantitative differences in metabolism between cancer cells and normal cells that render cancer cells more sensitive to the antimetabolites. Many of these agents have been rationally designed and synthesized based on knowledge of critical cellular processes involved in DNA biosynthesis.

The individual antimetabolites and their respective clinical spectrum and toxicities are presented in Table 54–3 and are dis-cussed below.