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Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer
Targeted Cancer Therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide, and spread. Learn how targeted therapy works against cancer and about common side effects that may occur.
Cancer Drug Target
Image by National Cancer Institute (NCI) / Sriram Subramaniam, NCI
Targeted Therapy
Image by Simon Caulton
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread. It is the foundation of precision medicine. As researchers learn more about the DNA changes and proteins that drive cancer, they are better able to design treatments that target these proteins.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Molecular Imaging and Therapy for cancer treatment
Image by Opensource Handbook of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Most targeted therapies are either small-molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies.
Small-molecule drugs are small enough to enter cells easily, so they are used for targets that are inside cells.
Monoclonal antibodies, also known as therapeutic antibodies, are proteins produced in the lab. These proteins are designed to attach to specific targets found on cancer cells. Some monoclonal antibodies mark cancer cells so that they will be better seen and destroyed by the immune system. Other monoclonal antibodies directly stop cancer cells from growing or cause them to self-destruct. Still others carry toxins to cancer cells.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Core Biopsy
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For some types of cancer, such as chronic myelogenous leukemia (also known as CML), most people with that cancer will have a target for a certain drug, so they can be treated with that drug. But most of the time, your tumor will need to be tested to see if it contains targets for which there is a drug.
Testing your cancer for targets that could help choose your treatment is called biomarker testing.
You may need to have a biopsy for biomarker testing. A biopsy is a procedure in which your doctor removes a piece of the tumor for testing. There are some risks to having a biopsy. These risks vary depending on the size of the tumor and where it is located. Your doctor will explain the risks of having a biopsy for your type of tumor.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Radiopharmaceuticals
Image by National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Most types of targeted therapy help treat cancer by interfering with specific proteins that help tumors grow and spread throughout the body. This is different from chemotherapy, which often kills all cells that grow and divide quickly. The following explains the different ways that targeted therapy treats cancer.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Nanoparticles Arriving at Target in Brain Cancer Cells
Image by National Cancer Institute \ Case Western Reserve University / Joey Mangadlao, Yu Cheng, Xinning Wang, Christopher McCleese, Clemens Burda, James Basilion
Targeted therapy does have some drawbacks.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Depiction of a person suffering from Diarrhea
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When targeted therapy was first developed, scientists thought that it would be less toxic than chemotherapy. But they have learned that targeted therapy can also cause serious side effects. The side effects that you may have depends on the type of targeted therapy you receive and how your body reacts to it.
The most common side effects of targeted therapy include diarrhea and liver problems. Other side effects might include
Very rarely, a hole might form through the wall of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large bowel, rectum, or gallbladder.
There are medicines for many of these side effects. These medicines may prevent the side effects from happening or treat them once they occur.
Most side effects of targeted therapy go away after treatment ends.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Medication
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Small-molecule drugs are pills or capsules that you can swallow.
Monoclonal antibodies are usually given through a needle in a blood vein.
Where you go for treatment depends on which drugs you are getting and how they are given. You may take targeted therapy at home. Or you may receive targeted therapy in a doctor’s office, clinic, or outpatient unit in a hospital. Outpatient means you do not spend the night in the hospital.
How often and how long you receive targeted therapy depends on
You may have treatment every day, every week, or every month. Some targeted therapies are given in cycles. A cycle is a period of treatment followed by a period of rest. The rest period gives your body a chance to recover and build new healthy cells.
Targeted therapy affects people in different ways. How you feel depends on how healthy you are before treatment, your type of cancer, how advanced it is, the kind of targeted therapy you are getting, and the dose. Doctors and nurses cannot know for certain how you will feel during treatment.
While you are receiving targeted therapy, you will see your doctor often. He or she will give you physical exams and ask you how you feel. You will have medical tests, such as blood tests, x-rays, and different types of scans. These regular visits and tests will help the doctor know whether the treatment is working.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Drawing of an opened bottle of pills
Image by NIDDK Image Library
The FDA has approved targeted therapy drugs for the treatment of some people with the following types of cancer. Some targeted therapy drugs are listed more than once because they have been approved to treat more than one type of cancer. The generic drug name is listed first, with a brand name in parentheses.
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
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