Targeted Therapy

Overview

Targeted therapy is a general term that refers to a medication or drug that targets a specific pathway in the growth and development of a tumor rather than simply killing rapidly dividing cells (such as with chemotherapy).

By targeting molecules (or small particles) in specific pathways, the therapy selects specifically for the tumors. The targets are typically various molecules (or small particles) in the body that are known or suspected to play a role in cancer formation and progression.

Targeted therapy is the name of an overall category of treatment - some general examples are discussed here in this section. Other more specific examples are discussed more thoroughly in the remainder of the New Horizon section of the website - flip back and forth using the research index if you like.

		The hope is that targeted cancer therapies may be more effective than current treatments and less harmful to normal cells.