What kind of cancer can targeted therapy treat?

The article is consulted professionally by MSc. Dr Quach Thanh Dung – Oncologist, Oncology Department, Share99 Times City International Health Hub.

Targeted therapy is a cancer therapy using drugs that limit the growth and spread of cancer, often applied to patients with late-stage, advanced and far-term metatarities that topical treatments such as surgery and radiotherapy cannot perform.

Targeted therapy is the foundation of precision medicine, being one of the most important basic treatments in the treatment of multiple cancer patterns by targeting the growth, division and spread of cancer cells. Cancer targeting therapy works by attacking and blocking specialized genes or proteins that are found in cancer cells or those that are involved in tumor growth.

Up to now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved many targeted drugs in the treatment of many types of cancer, including common cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectalcancer, prostate cancer…

Scientists are still working further on the mechanism of transformation from normal cells into cancer cells, thereby improving and increasing the effectiveness of targeted therapy.

The two most common types of targeted therapy are small molecule drugs and monoty current antibodies.

• Small molecular drugs: are drugs that are small enough in size to get inside the cell easily. Mostly oral medications
• Monosynialantibodies : Are laboratory-produced proteins, which are composed of which can be attached to a specific target in cancer cells. Some monocytes can mark cancer cells, making it easier for the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Some monocytic antibodies can directly prevent cancer cells from growing, or cause these cells to destroy themselves. Unlike small molecular drugs, monoty current antibodies are large so they do not penetrate inside the cell, but attach to specific targets present on the surface of cancer cells. Most drugs use intravenously.

Some cancers do not require pre-treatment targeting tests such as Bevacizumab (Avastin) for colorectal cancer, ovarianand cervical cancers. However, most cancers require a tumor biosuppation to test for immune tissue or molecular biology to check for the suitity of targeted therapy drugs. For example, small molecular drugs such as Erlotinib (Tarceva), Gefitinib (Iressa) for the treatment of lung cancer have mutations in the EGFR (+)gene, the drug Cetuximab (Erbitux) is effective in treating metabolic colon cancer when patients do not have RAS, BRAF (wild type) mutations. The drug Trastuzumab is used only in breast cancer patients with Her2 receptors (+)…

The mechanism of action of most targeted therapy is to interfere with the specific proteins of cancer cells. Each type of targeted therapy has different mechanisms of action:

• Help the immune system destroy cancer cells: cancer cells have the ability to hide from the body's immune system. Certain targeted therapy can identify and attach to cancer cells, helping the immune system to find and destroy these cells. Others support promoting the immune system to prevent cancer more effectively.
• Prevents cancer cells from growing: Healthy cells in the body usually divide into new cells only when they receive strong signals when the body needs it. However, there are proteins on the cell surface that change, causing the cell to divide even without receiving signals from the body. Some targeted therapy intervenes and blocks these proteins, blocking cell division, reducing unsmanular growth of cancer.
• Inhibits tumor vascular growth: cancerous tumors are often rich in blood vessels. Targeted therapy inhibits vascular formation, reduces and blocks the blood flow that feeds the tumor, thereby inhibiting tumor growth, shrinking tumor size.
• Transporting cell killers to cancer cells: Somemonotypist antibodies are combined with cellular toxic substances that are chemotherapy drugs. Once monocytes adhere to the surface of cancer cells, chemical drugs kill cancer cells. Non-target cells will not be affected.
• Killing cancer cells :Ordinary cells die when damaged or when the body no longer needs them. However, cancer cells avoid this rule. As a result, a few targeted methods are used to bring cancer cells to die under the program.
• Separation of cancer cells from the hormones needed for their development: Some cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer are those that develop hormone-dependent. Hormone therapy is also a targeted therapy aimed at inhibiting the body from secreting specific hormones, or preventing hormones from interacting with cells in the body, including cancer cells.
• Targeted drugs used in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or can be used alone increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment. During the treatment of the patient will be closely monitored for clinical signs, side effects of the drug, as well as regular testing to monitor the condition and effectiveness of the therapy.

Besides the advantages, targeted therapy also has a few limitations, including:

• Cancer cells are resistant to drugs. Therefore, targeted therapy can be most effective when combined with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
• Some targets in the cell have structural and functional changes that make it difficult for the drug to come into play.

Targeted therapy can cause a number of side effects, depending on the medication and body reaction.

Diarrhea, fatigue, slow healing of wounds, high blood pressure, heart failure, dermatitis, mucositis, bleeding … Very rare cases can be punctured into the esophagus, stomach, intestines..

Managing and monitoring closely during treatment will minimize the above side effects. Most side effects will cease when the patient stops targeted therapy.

During the treatment process, patients will be regularly examined, consulted by doctors, checked for the effectiveness of treatment with blood tests, cancer markers, computer-class cuts, PET-CT …

OncologyCenter –Share99 Times City International Health Hub is one of the cancer treatment centers in Vietnam fully equipped with modern diagnostic facilities such as PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI …, myeloma, hematological tests, immunosymological tissue testing, genetic testing, molecular biology tests. as well as a full range of targeted treatment drugs, the most advanced immuno therapeutic drugs in the treatment of cancer. Multi-modal cancer treatment from surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hematoma stem cell transplantation, targeted therapy, immunotherm therapy in cancer treatment, new treatments such as auto-immune therapy, thermothermia …

After having an accurate diagnosis of the disease, the patient will be consulted to choose the most appropriate and effective treatments. The treatment process is always closely coordinated with many specialties: Imaging, Bio-testing, immunosmmunity, cardiovascular specialties, stem cells and gene technology; Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, End end of end end of department, Rehabilitation department, psychology department, Nutrition department … to bring the highest efficiency and comfort to patients.

For examination and treatment with experienced oncologists at Share99, please make an reservation directly at the website to be served.

Article reference source: Webmd.com, Cancer.gov

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