Q- What is Targeted Therapy for lung cancer?

Targeted therapy is a new lung cancer medication, aims to minimize damage to healthy cells. They target cancer cells by interfering with their growth and function. This new treatment for patients can be identified using biomarker testing.

Click here to know more about Biomarker Testing.


Q- What are the benefits of Targeted Therapy?

The benefits of Targeted Therapy are

  • Blocks signals that tell cancer cells to expand or multiply.
  • Changes the proteins in cancer cells that cause them to die.
  • Prevent the development of new blood vessels, which will cut off the blood flow to your tumor.
  • Instruct the immune system to go after cancer cells.
  • Toxins that destroy cancer cells while causing no damage to healthy cells are delivered.


Q- What different Targeted Therapies do we have?

FDA-approved targeted therapies for lung cancer tumors showing characteristics of abnormalities in these genes

  • EGFR, 
  • ALK, 
  • ROS-1, 
  • NTRK, 
  • MET, 
  • RET, and 
  • BRAF V600E.

Traditional chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of the two may be recommended if you do not test positive for a biomarker with an approved targeted therapy.. Surgery or radiation may also be recommended. It may also be appropriate to enroll in a clinical trial looking at treatments for a number of other markers 


Q- Does targeted Therapy have any limitations?

 For a few cancer patients, targeted therapy might not be the best option. Using a drug for your particular cancer may seem direct, but targeted therapy is complicated, and it does not always work. It is important to know the following about Targeted Therapy

  • If the tumor does not have a specific target, a targeted therapy will not function.
  • The presence of a target does not guarantee that the tumor will react to the drug.
  • The treatment's effect may not last over time.

Watch the below video to better understand "Targeted Therapy"


Reference: Understanding Targeted Therapy. (2019, February 28). Cancer.net. https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/personalized-and-targeted-therapies/understanding-targeted-therapy