Targeted therapy identifies and attacks specific changes in cancer cells, such as mutated genes, overactive proteins, or growth signals, allowing for personalized treatment based on tumor biology. By focusing on molecular drivers of cancer, these therapies can control growth while limiting damage to healthy tissues.
How does Targeted Therapy work?
Blocking growth signals: Drugs inhibit pathways that tell cancer cells to grow and divide.
Cutting off blood supply: Anti-angiogenic agents prevent tumors from forming new blood vessels, starving tumor cells of nutrients.
Delivering toxins to cancer: Some medicines carry chemotherapy or radiation directly to cancer cells to spare normal cells (antibody–drug conjugates/radioligands).
Flagging cancer cells: Targeted agents can “mark” cancer cells so the immune system can find and destroy them more easily.
Benefits
Precision: Acts on cancer-specific targets to reduce collateral damage to healthy tissue compared with traditional chemotherapy.
Fewer or less severe side effects than conventional chemotherapy, with manageable safety profiles in many patients.
Synergy: Can be combined with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation to enhance effectiveness.
Long-term Management: In some cancers, targeted therapy helps control disease chronically, supporting longer survival and quality of life.
Types of Targeted Therapy
Monoclonal antibodies: Lab-made antibodies attach to specific targets on cancer cells to block growth signals or mark cells for immune attack. (Eg: Trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer)
Small-molecule inhibitors: Oral drugs enter cells to inhibit signaling proteins that drive growth and survival. (Eg: Imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia)
PARP inhibitors: Block DNA repair in tumor cells with defective repair pathways, leading to cancer cell death. (Eg: Olaparib for ovarian and breast cancers)
Who can it help?
Cancers with actionable biomarkers (e.g., specific mutations, amplifications, or protein overexpression) often benefit from targeted therapy.
Eligibility is individualized based on cancer type, stage, overall health, previous treatments, and molecular test results.
Testing and preparation
Biomarker testing: Tissue and/or liquid biopsy may be used to identify targets or immune markers guiding therapy choice.
Baseline assessments: Blood tests, organ function evaluation, and imaging help determine safety and establish a starting point for response tracking.
Common side effects
Watch for blood pressure changes, skin or nail changes, diarrhea, liver enzyme elevations, mouth sores, and specific class-effect symptoms.
Clinicians will provide drug-specific guidance and supportive treatments.