Targeted Therapies: Precision Strikes Against Cancer's Weaknesses - Healthcare-netizens/arpita-kamat GitHub Wiki
Targeted Therapies: Precision Strikes Against Cancer's Weaknesses Precision oncology has ushered in an era of targeted therapies – drugs that specifically target the molecular abnormalities driving an individual's cancer. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which often attacks rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, targeted therapies aim to interfere with specific proteins or pathways that are essential for cancer cell growth, survival, and spread. This more selective approach has the potential to be more effective and less toxic than conventional treatments.
The development of targeted therapies is directly linked to the advancements in molecular profiling. By identifying the specific genetic mutations or protein alterations that are driving a patient's cancer, researchers can develop drugs that specifically inhibit the activity of these aberrant molecules. For example, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) target enzymes that are often overactive or mutated in various cancers, such as EGFR in lung cancer and BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia. These drugs can effectively block the signaling pathways that promote cancer cell growth.
Another class of targeted therapies includes monoclonal antibodies, which are designed to specifically bind to proteins on the surface of cancer cells, marking them for destruction by the immune system or blocking their growth signals. Examples include trastuzumab (Herceptin) that targets the HER2 protein in breast cancer and rituximab (Rituxan) that targets the CD20 protein on lymphoma cells.
PARP inhibitors are another example of targeted therapies that exploit a specific vulnerability in cancer cells with defects in DNA repair pathways, such as BRCA-mutated ovarian and breast cancers. By inhibiting PARP, these drugs prevent cancer cells from repairing damaged DNA, leading to their death.
The success of targeted therapies highlights the power of precision oncology in identifying and exploiting the unique weaknesses of individual tumors. However, it is important to note that not all cancers have known actionable targets, and even when targets are identified, resistance to targeted therapies can develop over time. Ongoing research is focused on identifying new targets, developing novel targeted agents, and understanding the mechanisms of resistance to improve the effectiveness of these precision strikes against cancer.
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