There is continuous research being carried out by researchers and doctors to find the best possible cure for various cancers. Thanks to technology, there is an increased understanding of the molecular biology of a cancerous cell which is further equipped with targeted therapies which has enabled a better cure for cancer. Today patients receive personalized cancer treatment from cancer centers, unlike before wherein generalized chemotherapy and other treatments were administered to every cancer patient, whether the tumor was aggressive or not.
What is Targeted Therapy?
Researchers have been able to successfully decipher cell pathways which lead to cancer and have also been able to successfully develop drugs which block these pathways effectively. Such drugs are termed as targeted drugs and the entire treatment using these drugs is known as targeted therapy.
Targeted therapy essentially involves interrupting the cell function by restricting the cell communication. Proteins of the cells send signals via the signaling pathways, the targeted drugs block these signals.
Targeted therapy has fewer side effects since they are less harmful to normal tissues. Although targeted therapy can be administered as standalone treatment, they are given in conjunction with traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Targeted Therapy
Like every treatment, targeted therapy too has its pros and cons. Here is a brief regarding its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Advantages:
- Much more effective than traditional chemotherapy
- Does not damage normal healthy cells of the body
- Avoids side effects
- Can be consumed orally, does not require intravenous administration, therefore more convenient
- Better survival rate
Disadvantages:
- Requires long term commitment by the patient. Patient might forget to take the pill everyday
- Being a long- term treatment, the cost is higher than traditional medicine.
- Over the time, cancer might become resistant to the targeted drugs and agents.
Future of Targeted Therapy
As technology is advancing further and new medicines are being invented, targeted therapy seems to be the future of cancer treatments. Researchers are constantly evolving new targets and researching for target agents in order to deny cell and protein interaction. The goal is to understand growth and proliferation of cancer cells and which cells, proteins and interactions are responsible for it. Successful targeted therapy drugs or agents can be formulated depending upon the clinical trials. Clinical trials are extremely important in order to test the effectiveness of the drug and its consequences. Clinical trials are conducted under the expert supervision of research professionals and surgeons. There are people who volunteer for such clinical trials and are administered new drugs, before they are made available in the market. In the field of targeted therapy evolution, clinical trials play a major role and volunteers help to make such trials successful.
According to doctors at cancer centers, targeted therapies will herald a new era in the field of cancer treatment and will hopefully help treat cancer completely.
