Targeted therapy

• Discover information about different types of cancer • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Learn about cancer, diagnosis, treatment, coping & survivorship • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Find resources & tools for oncology healthcare professionals • • • • • • • • • • • • • • What is targeted therapy? Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment. Targeted therapies use drugs to target genes and proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread. This slows down or kills the cancer cells while preserving the normal cells as much as possible. Sometimes the “target” is found on some healthy cells as well, and side effects can happen. Targeted therapy can be called precision medicine or personalized medicine. This is because one person’s cancer may be treated differently than another based on the targets found on their tumor. In many cases, your healthcare provider will have to test your tumor to see if a specific target is present. Targeted therapy is effective, but it does not always work. Here are some examples: • The same type of cancer does not always have the same molecular targets that match the treatment. • The same targeted treatment doesn’t work for everyone with the same type of cancer. Some tumors react to the therapy differently. • Even though the target is present, it does not mean the tumor will respond to the targeted therapy. Common molecular targets (mutations or c...

Targeted cancer therapies are drugs that target specific parts of cancer cells, such as proteins or genes, that help cancers grow and spread. They also may go after other types of cells that help cancers grow and spread. For some types of cancer, targeted therapies may work better than other treatments. The FDA has approved targeted therapies for more than 15 types of cancer, including those of the breast, prostate, colon, and lung. But they only work if your tumor has the right target. And targeted therapies can often stop working if the target changes or your cancer finds a way around the treatment. Researchers are learning more about the changes that drive cancer. This could lead to better targeted therapies in the future. Types of Targeted Therapies There are two main types of targeted therapies: small molecule medicines and monoclonal antibodies. Small molecule medicines are small enough to slip inside cancer cells and destroy them. You can often spot small molecule meds because their generic name ends in "-ib." For example, imatinib (Gleevec) treats chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and other cancers by blocking signals that tell tumor cells to grow. Monoclonal antibodies are too big to get into cells. Instead, they attack targets on the outside of cells or right around them. Sometimes they're used to launch chemo and radiation straight into tumors. You usually get them through an IV in a vein in your arm at a hospital or clinic. Sometimes they're given as a shot. T...

Each cancer patient is unique. And when developing a “Targeted therapy attacks the genetic change within the cancer cell regardless of the tumor type, so we don’t worry if it’s MD Anderson’s Sometimes referred to as precision medicine or as personalized medicine, targeted therapy aims to stop or slow the growth of cancer. Targeted therapy drugs are given either as a pill or through an IV. How targeted therapy personalizes cancer treatment Cancer develops when a normal cell’s genes change, causing the cell to quickly divide and multiply out of control. The change in the cell’s genes is called a mutation. About 5-10% of cancers are caused by genetic mutations passed from parent to child (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), but many are caused by factors such as age, Targeted therapy is different than traditional Targeted therapy side effects Because targeted therapies attack cancer cells, some patients experience fewer side effects than with chemotherapy. Although it depends on the type of targeted therapy you receive, possible side effects can include Phase I clinical trials focus on making targeted therapy available for more patients Targeted therapy may not be an option for everyone. Not every patient’s tumor carries a genetic mutation that’s been identified as cancer-causing or that has a potential treatment option. And just like chemotherapy, it’s not guaranteed to work in all patients. Currently, targeted therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) are availab...

Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack certain types of cancer cells. A targeted therapy can be used by itself or in combination with other treatments, such as traditional or standard chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy. If your treatment plan includes targeted therapy, knowing how it works and what to expect can often help you prepare for treatment and make informed decisions about your care.

ABSTRACTS: 3121 , 4504 , LBA4619 Three clinical trials led by researchers at The University of Texas MDAnderson Cancer Center demonstrated positive results from the FGFR alterations. The data are being presented at the Erdafitinib is an oral medication that blocks the activity of FGFR signaling proteins, which are important for a variety of normal cellular processes. However, FGFR genetic alterations can drive the development of many cancer types, including urothelial, bile duct, breast, stomach, liver and lung cancers. Erdafitinib was the first approved FGFR-targeted therapy and is the only approved FGFR-targeted option for advanced urothelial cancer. Erdafitinib demonstrates tumor-agnostic benefits across 16 cancer types (Abstract 3121 ) The tumor-agnostic Phase II trial, led by , professor of and , confirmed the efficacy of erdafitinib in heavily pre-treated patients with advanced FGFR -altered solid tumors across 16 distinct cancer types. Among 217 patients on the trial, the overall response rate (ORR) was 29.5%, including six complete responses and 58 partial responses. The ORR was comparable across FGFR1-3 mutations and fusions. The treatment achieved a disease control rate of 73.7% and a clinical benefit rate of 45.6%, including an ORR of 56% in patients with pancreatic cancer and 52% in cholangiocarcinoma. “This study represents the largest tumor-agnostic trial of a targeted therapy to date, and the results demonstrate that erdafitinib provides meaningful clinical ...

Traditional This happens on a cellular level. Cancer cells need specific molecules, often in the form of proteins, to survive, multiply and spread. These molecules are usually made by the genes that cause cancer, as well as the cells themselves. Targeted therapies are designed to interfere with, or target, these molecules or the cancer-causing genes that create them. In some cases, the drug will attach to the molecule it targets, stopping it from doing its job. Other times, the drug will physically block the molecule from the place it normally goes. By stopping the normal work of these molecules, cancer’s growth can be slowed or even stopped. Doctors may perform genomic tests to look for abnormalities in tumor DNA or blood. This can determine which genes are mutated or have extra copies and if there are gene abnormalities that can be targeted. Even if a patient has a molecule that can be targeted, in some cases the drug stops working after a period of time. This usually occurs when the cancer finds some other way to finish the job the targeted therapy is made to stop. Repeating genomic testing can sometimes help determine how the tumor outsmarted the drug. Targeted therapies can be given in pill form or through an infusion and may be given along with another treatment like There are two main types of targeted therapy drugs: • Small molecule drugscan easily enter the cells and interfere with the molecules inside. They can also be used to interfere with molecules on the surf...

Targeted therapy or molecularly targeted therapy is one of the major modalities of medical treatment ( biologic therapy is sometimes synonymous with targeted therapy when used in the context of cancer therapy (and thus distinguished from chemotherapy, that is, cytotoxic therapy). However, the modalities can be combined; Another form of targeted therapy involves the use of nanoengineered enzymes to bind to a tumor cell such that the body's natural cell degradation process can digest the cell, effectively eliminating it from the body. Targeted cancer therapies are expected to be more effective than older forms of treatments and less harmful to normal cells. Many targeted therapies are examples of The most successful targeted therapies are chemical entities that target or preferentially target a protein or enzyme that carries a mutation or other genetic alteration that is specific to cancer cells and not found in normal host tissue. One of the most successful molecular targeted therapeutics is There are targeted therapies for Biomarkers are usually required to aid the selection of patients who will likely respond to a given targeted therapy. Co-targeted therapy involves the use of one or more therapeutics aimed at multiple targets, for example PI3K and MEK, in an attempt to generate a synergistic response The definitive experiments that showed that targeted therapy would reverse the malignant phenotype of tumor cells involved treating Her2/neu transformed cells with monoclona...