Precision Medicine for Lung Cancer: Targeted Drugs
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Lung cancer treatment has evolved significantly, with targeted drug therapies emerging as a promising option for advanced cases. Targeted therapies are
- fundamentally different from chemotherapy
- designed to block specific molecules or pathways linked to these mutations, effectively stopping cancer progression
- guided by driver mutations, unique genetic changes that fuel cancer growth
- most often used for advanced-stage disease
"In 2008, I had run out of treatment options and basically had a talk with my oncologist and I asked ‘how much time do I have left?’ and he said 3 to 5 months. Then, I had a biopsy that was submitted for genetic testing and I was found to have the ALK mutation and they had a clinical trial here that targeted it. I became the fourth person in the world with non-small cell lung cancer to try this particular experimental therapy. It worked.”
-Linnea Olsen, an ALK-positive lung cancer fighter for 17 years who participated in a total of six clinical trials throughout her lifetime
Targeted therapy is designed to recognize genetic abnormalities (biomarkers) within cancer cells and kill them. It is different from chemotherapy, a type of systemic treatment. Chemotherapy kills any rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, including healthy and cancer cells. The specificity of targeted therapy offers a more effective and personalized approach. This approach minimizes damage to healthy cells and reduces side effects.
Biomarker testing
Currently, targeted therapy is used to treat advanced, metastatic lung cancer. To guide biomarkers with the targeted drugs, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved a class of biomarker tests called “companion diagnostic devices”.
Related article: The Types of Lung Cancer Biomarker Tests
Targeted therapy is sometimes used alongside chemotherapy for better outcomes. The driver mutations and features of lung cancer that are targetable include: