Biology question about drug used for chemotherapy?

5-Fluoro-uracil (5-FU) is a drug commonly used in chemotherapy treatment of cancer. Cancer cells are usually very fast growing cells; other cells in your body, which are also fast growing, are bone marrow cells (which produce red and white blood cells) and hair follicle cells (which produce hair). Suggest why 5-FU can be a good treatment for cancer. Also, describe why 5-FU has side effects of low blood counts and hair loss.

Biology question about drug used for chemotherapy?

5-FU is an anti-metabolite which means it resembles a naturally occurring nuclear structural component. After being converted to its active form in the body, 5-FU is competes with deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) for the enzyme thymidylate synthetase. The binding of 5-FU to thymidylate synthetase prevents the cell from producing thymidine and consequently thymine (one of the four base pairs of DNA) resulting in decreased DNA synthesis, imbalanced cell growth and cell death. 5-FU is also inhibits RNA synthesis by acting as an analog for uracil. DNA and RNA synthesis is necessary for cell replication so the faster a cell duplicates the more affected it will be. As you stated, cancer cells are usually very fast growing cells. This makes 5-FU a good treatment for cancer since it slows or prevents tumor growth. However, chemotherapy drugs not only affect cancer cell but all cells in the body. Therefore, 5-FU also has a significant impact on other fast growing cell such as bone marrow and hair follicles resulting in low blood counts and hair loss.

Biology question about drug used for chemotherapy?

I'm a Realtor but having had four minor and three major cancers, I know quite a bit. I also have ITP but all the standard remedies failed.

Your questions sounds like your prof is asking you to think creatively. Too bad that you're not up to it.