What occurs during G2 phase of the cell cycle? What occurs during the M phase of the cell cycle? What is the most sensitive part of the cell cycle? What is the second most sensitive part of the cell cycle? What is the goal of chemotherapies? What is true of the number of drugs needed to achieve the chemotherapeutic goal? What is is chemotherapy usually more effective against? What are some common combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs? What is the size of a tumor when it is first detectable? what is the implication of this? What is palliative chemotherapy?

1. What occurs during G2 phase of the cell cycle?

post - synthesis, pre - mitotic, synthessis of cellular components required for mitosis

2. What occurs during the M phase of the cell cycle?

mitotic phase where the cell divides (prophase -> metaphase -> anaphase -> telophase ------ the genes duplicate line up and then pull apart by the chromatin)

3. What is the most sensitive part of the cell cycle?

the S phase of cell cycle

4. What is the second most sensitive part of the cell cycle?

the M phase

5. What is the goal of chemotherapies?

to kill 99+% of all tumors, and achieve the goal with the minimal effect with minimal effect on normal cells

6. What is true of the number of drugs needed to achieve the chemotherapeutic goal?

it is typical for the drugs to require combination therapy -- i.e drugs attack cells in multiple phases

7. What is is chemotherapy usually more effective against?

more effective against small tumors, and surgery reduces primary burden and hits micro metastases

8. What are some common combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs?

Prednisone, Oncovin (vincristine), Methotrexate and Purinethiol (mercaptopurine) for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)

9. What is the size of a tumor when it is first detectable? what is the implication of this?

about 1 gram in mass - or one billion cells; this can make judging therapeutic regimens difficult for when they are effective and not effective

10. What is palliative chemotherapy?

the initial remissions are transient, with symptoms recurring between treatments, survival is extended by the patient dies of the disease --- lowering the death rate