What Exactly Is Targeted Therapy?
In addition to chemotherapy and hormone therapy, newer, more effective treatments can target specific breast cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. These targeted methods are currently used in conjunction with traditional chemotherapy. Targeted drugs, on the other hand, frequently have less severe side effects than standard chemotherapy drugs.
How do targeted therapies for breast cancer work?
Breast cancer-targeted therapy employs drugs that specifically inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Targeted therapy, for example, may inhibit the action of an abnormal protein (such as HER2) that promotes the growth of breast cancer cells. Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) or lapatinib (TYKERB®) may be given to a woman whose lab tests show that her breast tumour has an abnormally high level of HER2.
Monoclonal Antibodies: Cancer Cell Binding Agents
Monoclonal antibodies are one type of targeted therapy that is currently being researched. These laboratory-made proteins bind to specific cancers.
Herceptin: HER2-Positive Receptor Targeting
Herceptin (also known as Trastuzumab) is a monoclonal antibody drug that targets HER2-positive tumours. If cancer cells express HER2/neu receptors, it means the cancer cell has excess receptors for the growth-stimulating HER2 protein.
The tumour attracts growth hormones almost like a magnet, and when tumour cells connect with growth hormone cells, cancer can quickly grow and multiply. Herceptin aids in the shrinkage of these HER2-positive tumours by locating the cells, binding to them, and blocking the receptor’s action.
This medication is administered via a vein. It can be given alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy. The most common side effects during the first treatment are fever and chills.
Other side effects include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, difficulty breathing, and rashes. These side effects usually reduce after the first treatment. Herceptin may cause heart damage, heart failure, and severe breathing difficulties. Your doctor will examine your heart and your lungs both before and during treatment.
What are the possible side effects of Herceptin and other biologic-targeted therapies?
Herceptin is administered via a vein. It can be given alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy. The most common side effects during the first treatment are fever and chills.
Other side effects include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, difficulty breathing, and rashes. These side effects usually reduce after the first treatment. Herceptin may cause heart damage, heart failure, and severe breathing difficulties. Your doctor will examine your heart and your lungs both before and during treatment.
Lapatinib works by preventing abnormal proteins from signalling cancer cells to multiply.
This oral tablet helps to stop or slow the spread of cancer cells. Lapatinib is used with chemotherapy or when other cancer treatment methods have failed.
Because it crosses the blood-brain barrier, lapatinib is commonly used for metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the brain in HER2-positive patients.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, tiredness, mouth sores, and rashes are all possible side effects. It can also result in swollen, painful hands and feet. Your doctor will examine your heart and liver before treatment. Your doctor will watch for signs of heart, lung, or liver disease during treatment.
As with any medical treatment, if you notice any unusual changes in your health while on targeted therapy, notify your doctor immediately.
Bevacizumab: Reducing the blood supply to cancer cells
Bevacizumab, another targeted therapy, prevents tumours from growing new blood vessels that could feed the tumour, effectively starving the cancer cells of all nutrients.
National Cancer Institute provided the information on this page.
