Targeted therapy: novel agents against cancer
1Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand. st_7_4@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Nowadays, malignancies still are crucial problems of healthcare system in many aspects including efficacy of therapeutic modalities, quality of patients' life and cost of treatment. The understanding of genetic alterations and intracellular pathways are very helpful to define the pathologic abnormalities specific to each cancer Consequently, there have been recently discovered agents which destroy the cancer cells with higher specificity than previously used agents. "Targeted therapy" is established to call this group of drugs because its mechanism of action selectively targets on tumor-specific abnormal cellular processes. These aimed extracellular or intracellular mechanisms are mainly divided into 3 groups; (1) activating natural immune system directly against tumor cells, (2) inhibiting cellular proliferation, (3) inducing tumor anti-angiogenesis. The targeted drugs are currently studied to establish the appropriate regimens for cancers with or without concurrent chemotherapy. It is important to understand and keep updated in these novel agents for better clinical outcome of cancer patients.
Insights
Targeted therapy offers more specific cancer cell destruction by targeting tumor-specific pathways. Understanding these novel agents improves patient outcomes and treatment efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Genetics
Background:
- Malignancies pose significant healthcare challenges, impacting treatment efficacy, patient quality of life, and costs.
- Understanding cancer-specific genetic alterations and intracellular pathways is crucial for developing effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and categorize novel targeted therapy agents for cancer treatment.
- To highlight the importance of understanding targeted therapy mechanisms for improved clinical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of recently discovered agents with specific mechanisms of action against cancer cells.
- Categorization of targeted therapies based on their action on immune system, proliferation, or angiogenesis.
Main Results:
- Targeted therapy agents demonstrate higher specificity in destroying cancer cells compared to traditional methods.
- Key mechanisms include immune system activation, inhibition of cellular proliferation, and induction of anti-angiogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Targeted therapy represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment due to its specificity.
- Continued research and understanding of these novel agents are essential for optimizing cancer care and patient prognosis.
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