Bumrungrad Health Briefs #42: Targeted Therapy: A Precision Approach to Cancer Treatment
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Bumrungrad Health Briefs #42: Targeted Therapy: A Precision Approach to Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment is advancing rapidly through targeted therapy, a method that pinpoints genetic changes responsible for transforming healthy cells into cancerous ones. This sophisticated approach allows for treatments that are not only effective but also minimize harm to healthy tissues.
What is Targeted Therapy?
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that focuses on specific characteristics of cancer cells. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which affects all rapidly dividing cells, targeted therapy zeroes in on the molecular changes that drive cancer growth. It can work in several ways:
- Blocking Signals: They can stop cancer cells from receiving the signals they need to grow.
- Preventing Growth: Some therapies can interfere with the cancer cell’s ability to divide and grow.
- Delivering Toxic Agents: They can deliver toxic substances directly to cancer cells, sparing normal cells.
This form of precision medicine falls into three main categories:
- Monoclonal Antibodies: These are lab-made molecules that can bind to specific targets on cancer cells.
- Small Molecule Drugs: These can enter cells and interfere with the processes inside cancer cells.
- Hormone Therapy: Some cancers grow in response to hormones; targeted therapies can block these hormones.
Several types of cancer benefit from targeted therapy. Here are a few examples:
- Breast Cancer: HER2-positive breast cancer can be treated with targeted therapies like trastuzumab (Herceptin).
- Lung Cancer: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mutations in the EGFR gene can be treated with targeted drugs like erlotinib (Tarceva) or gefitinib (Iressa).
- Colorectal Cancer: Cancers with mutations in the KRAS gene can be targeted with therapies like cetuximab (Erbitux).
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): Imatinib (Gleevec) specifically targets the BCR-ABL fusion protein found in CML.
- Melanoma: BRAF-mutated melanoma can be treated with BRAF inhibitors like vemurafenib (Zelboraf).
These therapies have significantly improved outcomes for patients with these specific cancer types.
Goals and Advantages
The primary goals of targeted therapy are to:
- Halt the growth of cancer cells
- Destroy cells that have the potential to metastasize
- Alleviate symptoms to improve patients' quality of life
This approach is preferred for its precision and relatively minimal side effects compared to conventional chemotherapy, as it specifically targets cancer cells while sparing normal cells.
Provided by Horizon Cancer Center, Bumrungrad International Hospital (Bangkok, Thailand)
Learn more https://bhx.one/DWQkW6
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