What type of drugs are referred to as cell-cycle-specific agents?

Cell-cycle-specific agents are a category of chemotherapy drugs that target cancer cells during specific phases of their development within the cell cycle. These drugs are designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of cancer cells as they progress through different stages, making them particularly effective at certain times. For example, some drugs may specifically target cells during the synthesis phase (S phase) when DNA replication occurs, or during the mitotic phase (M phase) when the cells are dividing.

This specificity allows for more effective treatment of rapidly dividing cancer cells while potentially sparing normal, non-dividing cells from the cytotoxic effects associated with many chemotherapy agents. The effectiveness of these drugs is linked directly to the timing of administration in relation to the cell cycle, thereby enhancing their therapeutic potential against tumors that are proliferating actively.