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              Review
              
              13.   
                  
                  
                              
                              Antineoplastic drugs : Treatment principles and 
                              toxicity - Bibu John Kariyil
                              Vet World. 2011; 4(8): 380-382
               
              
              
              doi: 10.5455/vetworld.2011.380-382
              
              
               
              
              
              
   
 
              
               
               
               
              
              
              Abstract
              
                              
                              
                              The therapy of cancer has improved dramatically 
                              during the past half century. This improvement can 
                              be traced to a number of factors: a better 
                              understanding of cancer's cause and natural 
                              history, better technologies for early detection 
                              and diagnosis, improved control of primary tumors 
                              through surgery and radiation therapy and more 
                              effective drugs. The evolution of drug therapy for 
                              cancer has progressed rapidly from alkylating 
                              agents and antimetabolites to natural products, 
                              and most recently, molecular targeted drugs such 
                              as imatinib and gefitinib. As our understanding of 
                              the biology of cancer improves, new targets for 
                              therapy are being identified daily. 
              
                              
              Keywords: 
                              Antineoplastic drugs, Drug classes, 
                              Pathophysiology, Treatment, Toxicity