Targeted therapy

Definition

Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack cancer cells while causing minimal harm to normal cells. This approach is based on the understanding of cancer's genetic, molecular, and cellular characteristics, which enables the development of therapies that specifically target those unique features. By focusing on specific pathways or mutations involved in tumor growth, targeted therapies aim to improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Targeted therapy can be more effective than traditional treatments because it focuses on specific pathways or mutations that drive cancer cell growth.
2. Common targets for these therapies include proteins involved in cell signaling, blood vessel formation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
3. Unlike chemotherapy, which affects all rapidly dividing cells, targeted therapy aims to minimize damage to healthy cells, resulting in fewer side effects.
4. There are various types of targeted therapies, including small molecule drugs that interfere with specific proteins and monoclonal antibodies that mark cancer cells for destruction by the immune system.
5. Some patients may develop resistance to targeted therapies over time, leading researchers to continually search for new ways to overcome this challenge.

Review Questions

• How does targeted therapy differ from traditional chemotherapy in terms of its mechanism of action and patient outcomes?
  • Targeted therapy differs from traditional chemotherapy primarily in its mechanism of action. While chemotherapy indiscriminately attacks all rapidly dividing cells, including healthy ones, targeted therapy specifically focuses on certain molecular markers or genetic mutations present in cancer cells. This precision leads to improved patient outcomes by increasing the effectiveness of treatment and minimizing side effects, allowing patients to maintain a better quality of life during their treatment process.
• Discuss the role of biomarkers in guiding targeted therapy decisions and how they influence treatment personalization.
  • Biomarkers play a crucial role in guiding targeted therapy decisions by providing insights into the specific characteristics of a patient's cancer. By identifying unique biomarkers through genetic testing or other diagnostic methods, healthcare providers can tailor treatment plans that align with the biological profile of the tumor. This personalized approach increases the likelihood of selecting an effective therapy while reducing the risk of ineffective treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
• Evaluate the impact of resistance mechanisms on the effectiveness of targeted therapies and suggest potential strategies to address these challenges.
  • Resistance mechanisms significantly impact the effectiveness of targeted therapies by allowing cancer cells to survive despite treatment. Factors such as genetic mutations or alternative signaling pathways can enable tumors to evade the effects of these drugs. To address these challenges, researchers are exploring combination therapies that target multiple pathways simultaneously, developing next-generation inhibitors that can overcome resistance mutations, and using adaptive treatment strategies that adjust based on patient response. These approaches aim to enhance the durability of responses to targeted therapies and improve overall treatment success.

Related terms

Biomarkers: Biomarkers are biological molecules found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that indicate a normal or abnormal process, or a condition or disease, often used to guide targeted therapy.

Monoclonal Antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made molecules designed to bind to specific targets on cancer cells, enhancing the immune response against those cells and often used in targeted therapies.

Personalized Medicine: Personalized medicine refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient, which is closely related to targeted therapy as both focus on customizing treatments based on genetic and molecular profiles.