Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to specifically target cancer cells by
focusing on the molecules (like proteins or genes) that help them grow, divide, and survive — without
affecting most healthy cells. 

How it works:
• Cancer cells often have specific mutations or abnormal proteins that normal cells don’t.

• Targeted therapy drugs are designed to block these abnormalities, stopping the cancer’s
growth or killing the cancer cells.

Types of Targeted Therapy:
1. Small molecule inhibitors
• These drugs enter cells and block specific proteins involved in cancer growth.
• Example: Imatinib (Gleevec) for chronic myeloid leukemia.
2. Monoclonal antibodies
• These are lab-made antibodies that attach to specific targets on cancer cells and mark
them for destruction.
• Example: Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for HER2-positive breast cancer.

Common Targets:
• HER2 – in some breast and stomach cancers.
• EGFR – in some lung and colorectal cancers.
• BRAF – in melanoma.
• VEGF/VEGFR – affects blood vessel growth in tumors.

Advantages:
• More specific than chemotherapy.

• Can sometimes cause fewer side effects.
• Often taken as pills (oral therapy).

Challenges:
• Not all cancers have known targets.
• Cancers can develop resistance over time.
• Requires genetic testing or biomarker testing to identify if a tumor has the target.

Used in Cancers Like:
• Breast cancer
• Lung cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Leukemias
• Melanoma
• Kidney cancer