Classes of Chemotherapy Drugs Used to Treat Breast Cancer

Classes of Chemotherapy Drugs Used to Treat Breast Cancer

Class	Action	Examples
Anthracyclines	Deform DNA structure of cancer cells	Adriamycin (doxorubicin) Ellence (epirubicin)
Taxanes	Prevent cancer cells from dividing	Taxol (paclitaxel) Taxotere (docetaxel)
Alkylating Agents	Target DNA of cancer cells	Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide)

Chemotherapy drugs—anthracyclines:

Anthracyclines are a certain group of chemotherapy drugs. While anthracyclines can be very effective against breast and other cancers, they pose a risk of cardiotoxicity (severe heart problems) and therefore, they are typically used in limited doses. Patients should also be closely monitored for any heart problems during treatment. Anthracyclines work by deforming the DNA structure of cancer cells and terminating their biological function. The drugs Adriamycin (generic name, doxorubicin) and Ellence (generic name, epirubicin) are examples of anthracyclines used to treat breast cancer. Anthracyclines are commonly used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs to help decrease the risk of side effects.