Paper II
2017 August (Supplementary) (2010 Scheme) · 40 marks · 120 min

Question

Rationale for the use of combination of drugs in cancer chemotherapy

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Answer

Combination chemotherapy uses drugs with different mechanisms/cell-cycle specificity and non-overlapping toxicity profiles. This achieves synergistic/additive cytotoxicity against tumour cells via different pathways, reduces the likelihood of resistance developing (since simultaneous resistance to multiple mechanisms is unlikely), and allows each drug to be used near its own maximum tolerated dose without cumulative toxicity to a single organ becoming prohibitive.

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