Targeted Therapy
A type of cancer treatment using targeted drugs is known as targeted therapy. However, there is a difference between this and traditional chemotherapy, which also uses drugs to treat cancer. Cancer’s specific genes, proteins or the tissue environment contributes to cancer growth and survival and the targeted therapy targets them to treat cancer, without affecting normal body cells. In cancer cells or in some other cells related to cancer growth, these genes and proteins are found. Along with chemotherapy and other treatments, doctors often use targeted therapy for cancer in Kolkata.
If you want to properly understand the working procedure of targeted therapy, you have to know how cancer cells grow. The cells build up every tissue in the body. In your body, there are many cell types such as skin cells, blood cells and brain cells. There is a specific function that each type performs. If some genes in healthy cells change, cancer starts to develop. This change is often mentioned as a mutation.
Types of targeted therapy
- Monoclonal Antibodies. A specific target on the outside of cancer cells or in the area around the cancer cells is blocked by drugs called ‘monoclonal abilities’. Toxin cells are also directly sent by monoclonal antibodies to the cancer cells. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy in combination with these antibodies can make cancer cells better. These are normally intravenous drugs.
- Small-molecule Drugs. The process that helps cancer cells multiply and spread comes to an end on the use of small-molecule drugs. These drugs are usually available as pills and prescribed by a cancer specialist doctor in Kolkata.
You should keep one thing in mind. Everyone will not get benefits from the same targeted treatment. There are also some other points you should keep in mind. They are:
- If the tumour does not have the target, there will be no effect of targeted therapy.
- It is not that the tumour will respond to the drug even if there is the target.
- The treatment may have a temporary response.