The stage of fighting cancer may require targeted therapy as a new and effective idea, which has a great ability to deal with cancer cells without harming other healthy cells. This is the basis of targeted therapy, as it precisely targets the parts that help cancer cells grow and spread. It is an intelligent treatment method that seeks to be effective and have few side effects and is considered a new hope in the treatment journey for this disease. Within Al Mousa Health Hospital, we find all health measures at the hands of an elite group of the best specialized doctors. 

What is targeted therapy?

Targeted therapy represents one of the approved therapeutic strategies to combat cancer, as its work is based on targeting proteins that play a pivotal role in regulating the growth, division, and spread of cancer cells in the body. This therapeutic approach is the basic foundation of what is known as precision medicine cancer treatment. After long studies conducted by researchers to understand the changes that occur in the DNA and proteins that stimulate the growth of cancerous tumors, treatments have been developed that are more effective in specifically targeting these proteins. The mechanism of action of some of the drugs used in targeted therapy includes weakening the ability of cancer cells to grow and survive.

In contrast to traditional chemotherapy, targeted therapy directs its action only at proteins or genes that are specific to cancer cells. This is achieved through several mechanisms, including obstructing blood flow nourishing the tumor and stimulating the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Compared to other types of treatments used in treating cancer, targeted therapy is considered a therapeutic option that causes less harm.

Types of targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is mainly classified into two categories: small molecule drugs and monoclonal antibodies, each of which will be detailed as follows:

Small molecule drugs

These drugs are characterized by their high ability to penetrate cancer cells and precisely identify their targets. This is due to their low molecular weight and small size, which makes it easy for them to slip into cancer cells and cause damage to them. Examples include:

• Angiogenesis inhibitors: These inhibitors work to obstruct the process of formation of new blood vessels that supply cancer cells with the food necessary for their growth, such as Bevacizumab.
• Proteasome inhibitors: The action of these inhibitors is based on disrupting the normal functions of cells and thus leading to the death of cancer cells, an example of which is the drug Bortezomib.
• Cellular signaling inhibitors: These inhibitors contribute to obstructing the signals transmitted by cells, which leads to a change in the behavior of the cancer cell. Examples include the drug Imatinib.
• Monoclonal antibodies: These drugs are characterized by their ability to distinguish cancer cells, which makes them more visible to the immune system so that it can recognize and destroy them efficiently. Examples of them include Alemtuzumab, Trastuzumab, or Cetuximab. It should be noted that each of these treatments is designed to target a specific type of cancer. Types of cancer.

What are the goals of targeted therapy?

The primary goal of using partially targeted therapy in cancer treatment is to selectively target cancer cells while seeking to minimize damage to healthy cells in the body. This approach relies on the use of targeted agents, such as monoclonal antibodies, small molecules, or even immune system cells themselves, to attack specific proteins or molecular pathways involved in the growth, development, and spread of cancer. 

Through this extreme precision in targeting cancer cells, targeted therapy partly aims to achieve better therapeutic results and reduce side effects associated with treatment compared to traditional cancer treatments that do not specifically target cancer cells.

Discover the latest oncology techniques inside Oncology center at Al Mousa Hospital, including targeted therapy designed to target cancer cells and reduce side effects. 

How does targeted therapy work?

This treatment works as a cancer treatment strategy by targeting specific proteins that play a role in promoting tumor growth and its spread throughout the body. Unlike chemotherapy, which tends to destroy all rapidly dividing cells, targeted therapy is highly selective in the way it works. This therapeutic approach interferes with the specific proteins responsible for cancer growth and hinders their ability to function normally. The following mechanisms provide an overview of how targeted therapy affects cancer treatment:

Boosts the immune system

• Cancer cells can survive and grow by hiding from the body's immune system.
• Certain types of targeted therapies can also help identify and label cancer cells, making it easier for the immune system to locate and eliminate them.
• Some targeted therapies work to enhance the efficiency of the immune system, making it better able to fight cancer.

Blocks growth signals

• Targeted therapy aims to prevent cancer cells from growing and dividing out of control, and achieves this by disrupting signals that stimulate unregulated growth of cancer cells.
• Healthy cells divide normally in the body only when they receive specific signals to do so. These signals bind to proteins on the cell surface and direct the cells to divide and create new cells as the body needs.
• Cancer cells, in contrast, behave differently, as changes occur in the proteins on their surface.
• These proteins continuously signal cells to divide regardless of the presence of normal growth signals.
• Targeted therapies can interfere with these abnormal proteins, preventing them from instructing cells to divide and thus slowing uncontrolled cancerous growth.

Stops blood vessel formation

• Cancerous tumors need to form new blood vessels in order to grow larger, and this process, known as angiogenesis, occurs when the tumor sends chemical signals that stimulate this.
• Some medications called angiogenesis inhibitors stop these signals and prevent new blood vessels from forming. Without an adequate blood supply, they force tumors to remain small.
• These drugs may be used if the cancerous tumor has already developed its own blood supply to cause death in those blood vessels, causing the tumor to shrink in size.

Delivers toxins

• Monoclonal antibodies are a class of targeted therapy drugs that can be combined with chemotherapy drugs, toxins or radiation to more targetedly kill cancer cells.
• These antibodies bind to specific targets found on the surface of cancer cells and deliver toxic substances to them, which ultimately leads to the death of cancer cells.
• This selective process ensures that only cancer cells are targeted and destroyed while cells that do not have the specific target on their surface are not affected.

Stimulates cell death

• Healthy cells in the body are programmed to die in an orderly manner when they are no longer needed or when they are damaged. However, cancer cells have developed different mechanisms to avoid this natural process.
• Targeted therapies have been developed to stimulate cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis).
• By effectively stimulating programmed cell death, these treatments help eliminate cancer cells from the body, thus promoting healthy cellular regeneration and preventing the spread of cancer.

Hormone blocks

• Some cancers, such as prostate cancer and breast cancer, require certain hormones to grow, and hormonal therapies offer a targeted approach to treating these types of cancer with two different methods available.
• Some hormonal treatments can prevent the body from producing certain hormones, while other types can stop the effect of those hormones on the body's cells, including cancer cells.
• Hormone treatments are effective because they work by disrupting the hormones that cancer cells need to grow and divide.

Methods of using targeted therapy

Targeted therapy can be used to treat a variety of types of cancer that affect children. Before starting this treatment, doctors conduct specialized tests to determine whether there are certain genetic changes or mutations present in the cancerous tumor cells. Doctors may also resort to using targeted therapy in cases where the cancer does not respond to other treatments or if the cancer returns after the initial treatment.

Targeted therapy can be used alone as a treatment option or can be combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and...Hormonal therapy Surgery and radiotherapy in order to achieve the best possible therapeutic results, and in some cases more than one targeted treatment may be given at the same time.

How many sessions to use guided therapy

Targeted therapies are medications that are usually given orally in the form of tablets or capsules or through a vein by injection or infusion. Treatment usually requires multiple doses of these medications over a specific period of time. Patients often receive these doses on an outpatient basis without the need for a hospital stay.

Patients undergo careful monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted therapy in controlling the cancer. Sometimes a drug may be effective in the early stages of treatment and then lose its effect over time. The side effects associated with targeted therapy vary from one drug to another, and children’s response to medications is not the same. In rare cases, patients may suffer from allergic reactions to targeted drugs.

FAQs

What is the difference between chemotherapy and targeted therapy?

Targeted therapy is a type of chemotherapy, but it differs in its mechanism of action from traditional chemotherapy, which targets killing cancer cells directly, while targeted therapy focuses on stopping the growth of cancer cells and controlling the growth and spread of cancerous tumors.

Does targeted therapy have side effects?

Targeted therapy can cause a range of side effects, although not all patients experience all of these and some people may not experience any side effects at all. The severity of these side effects varies greatly depending on the specific type of medication and the characteristics of the individual being treated.

Does targeted therapy cause hair loss?

Conventional chemotherapy may cause hair loss from all over the body, not just the scalp. Sometimes eyelashes, eyebrows, armpit hair, pubic hair, and other areas of the body where hair grows may also fall out.

Targeted therapy represents a qualitative and important shift in the field of cancer treatment, as it gives hope to many patients who suffer from advanced forms of the disease that could not be treated effectively previously. By understanding the precise mechanisms and types of targeted treatments available within Al Mousa Health Hospital, patients and healthcare providers can better deal with cancer treatment. With continued progress in research in this field, it is expected that more precisely targeted treatments will emerge that provide more effective treatment options and perhaps better results for patients with cancer.

Sources 

Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer – cancer