Targeted therapies
Targeted therapies are drugs that act on specific proteins controlling how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread; the National Cancer Institute describes them as the foundation of precision medicine. Most belong to one of two groups: small-molecule drugs, which can enter cells and block processes inside them, and monoclonal antibodies, which attach to targets on the cell surface. Whether a given drug can be used usually depends on biomarker testing of the tumor, which checks for the presence of a specific molecular target. Targeted drugs have their own limitations: cancer cells can become resistant when the target changes, and treatment can cause side effects such as diarrhea, liver problems, or high blood pressure.
Kinase inhibitors (TKIs)
Kinase inhibitors are small-molecule drugs, usually taken as tablets, that block enzymes (kinases) relaying growth signals inside cancer cells. When a tumor depends on an overactive kinase — such as BCR-ABL in chronic my…
Monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made immune proteins designed to attach to one specific target on cancer cells. Depending on the target, they can flag cancer cells for destruction by the immune system, block growth …
PARP inhibitors
PARP inhibitors are small-molecule drugs that block PARP enzymes, which cancer cells use to repair damaged DNA. They are particularly active against tumors that already have a faulty DNA-repair pathway — most often due t…
Angiogenesis inhibitors
Angiogenesis inhibitors block the growth of new blood vessels that a tumor needs to obtain oxygen and nutrients, rather than attacking cancer cells directly. Most act on the VEGF signal or its receptors; examples listed …