The Strong Stuff

This is one of the medicines, doxorubicin, of the strong type that I received for the second time yesterday. Here is what it looks like in the vial, and going into a vein through the tubing. Hence its name "The Red Devil" by some of the patients who have been treated with it. This moniker is also derived from its wide variety of side effects , which the doctors try their best to control with other medicines. But, the same mechanisms that make it a very good cancer cell killer work on other rapidly dividing cells in the body, so one has to take the good with the bad. Strong medicine, strong effects, and always better side effect medicines and cancer cell drugs becoming available. It is amazing, the amount of work that has been done. And the benefits of science-based medicine, and the benefits of the scientific method. Here is how it works:

Doxorubicin is known to interact with DNA by intercalation and inhibition of macromolecular biosynthesis.This inhibits the progression of the enzyme topoisomerase II, which unwinds DNA for transcription. Doxorubicin stabilizes this topoisomerase enzyme after it has broken the DNA chain for replication, preventing the DNA double helix from being resealed and thereby stopping the process of replication.

Translation: See the picture. The red molecules inserts itself into areas of DNA that is being unwound for gene decoding and translation into protein molecules. This essentially prevents the cell from building the proteins that it needs and from copying the DNA molecule for replication and eventually cell division. The most rapidly growing cells in our body, like CANCER cells, hair-growing cells, cells in our GI tract, and cells in our bone marrow (producing white blood cells to fight infection, red blood cells to carry oxygen, and platelet cells for clotting) ALL take a hit and are knocked out. That is why we lose our hair, have nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, lack of appetite, and sometimes need platelet or blood transfusions (these levels are monitored each time I get chemo). The point is: THE CANCER CELLS ARE RAPIDLY GROWING AND GET KNOCKED OUT TOO. And just when they are thinking about recovering, well WE HIT 'EM AGAIN, THE BASTARDS. And valiantly try to manage all the side effects. This type of drug is a CYTOCIDE, a CELL KILLER. And I hope it is doing its job very well. It is only one of two drugs I am getting now (every two weeks) then I start with one additional drug which has a very interesting story. Really, you say......Really! Yes more excitement to come!

And just in case you wanted some more exciting scientific insight--

HERE IS THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE!! That sneaky molecule. (My dad seems to like it :))

Hanging in there, hello to all.