Molecular target therapy provides personalized treatment for cancer

For a long time, cancer treatment was restricted to the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, all patients were subjected to very similar treatment protocols, regardless of the type of tumor they had. What happens is that cancer is not a single disease, to get an idea there are more than 200 types of cancer, according to INCA.

In addition, chemotherapy is a treatment that can cause many uncomfortable side effects , such as hair loss, body aches, nausea, nail thinning, skin blemishes, fatigue and, in some cases, kidney and liver overload

With advances in medicine, especially in the field of molecular research, the characteristics of each type of tumor. And, with this, to develop drugs that allow the treatment of cancer more effectively and with fewer side effects for the patient.

A group of medicines that has made this concept possible, and contributing to the treatment oncology is more personalized is the molecular target therapy. This type of therapy aims to act directly on tumor cells. This may result in greater precision in treatment and fewer side effects for the patient.

To explain a little about this subject and to show the possibilities of treatments using molecular target therapy was one of the topics addressed in the 4th Congress All Together Against the Cancer, São Paulo, which was attended by the oncologist Pedro de Marchi, the Barretos Cancer Hospital and the oncologist Drauzio Varella.

According to Marchi, the personalized treatment with molecular target therapy aims to attack the tumor and prevent its growth and spread through the body.

For the personalized treatment to work, it is necessary that the tumor has some specific characteristics. According to Varella, some tumors have genetic mutations that allow them to be treated by other drugs. In addition, target therapy is also capable of acting on healthy cells that have been affected in some way by cancer cells.

To identify whether the type of tumor the patient has possesses characteristics that are compatible with the target therapy are some tests have been done to identify, for example, proteins, genes, and other factors that characterize the tumor.

Some types of tumor that can count on target therapy are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, melanoma , leukemia. It is important to note, however, that only after the examination can the oncologist know if the type of cancer that the patient presents can be treated with the target therapy. These drugs can be administered intravenously or orally. The form of consumption of the target therapy varies according to the substances present in the drug.

Obstacles to molecular target therapy

Although personalized treatment with molecular target therapy is a revolution in cancer treatment, there are still Both Marchi and Varella are categorical in saying that it is not all types of malignant tumors that can be treated together with target therapy, and that even though they have fewer side effects than chemotherapy, this type of treatment also may cause reactions after application. The manifestations depend on the type of drug that will be used. According to Marcho, patients usually have diarrhea and skin changes.

Furthermore, not all patients respond as expected to personalized treatment. One reason is that, in some cases, the changes present in the tumor are not as relevant and the drugs can not act effectively. There is also the possibility of the tumor acquiring resistance to therapy.

There are also financial limitations. This is because so many exams and the drugs available for target therapy treatment are very expensive and not all of them are covered by the SUS.

The tip is to talk to your doctor about your treatment and ask about the possibility to receive the target therapy.

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