Treatment approach for advanced breast cancer spread: Understanding its mechanism
A new interactive treatment guide focuses on the ways targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer work within the body, offering a more precise and effective approach with generally fewer systemic side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy.
Unique Actions of Targeted Therapies
The actions of targeted therapies in cancer cells and the rest of the body are unique, as they interfere with cancer-driving molecules or pathways specific to each subtype, rather than broadly attacking rapidly dividing cells like chemotherapy.
Targeted Therapies for Breast Cancer Subtypes
The main differences in targeted therapies for various breast cancer subtypes lie in the specific molecular features they exploit. Here's a breakdown of some common subtypes and their targeted treatments:
Luminal A (ER+/PR+, HER2-)
Primarily treated with hormone (endocrine) therapies that reduce estrogen/progesterone stimulation of tumor growth, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators or aromatase inhibitors. These therapies have fewer systemic toxicities than chemotherapy.
Luminal B (ER+/PR+, HER2+)
Combines hormone therapies with HER2-targeted agents to address hormone receptor and HER2 overexpression.
HER2-Positive
Treated with HER2-targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) like trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd). These therapies specifically inhibit HER2-driven tumor growth, improving progression-free survival.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
Lacking targets for hormone or HER2 therapies, TNBC is traditionally treated with chemotherapy. However, newer targeted treatments include ADCs like sacituzumab govitecan, which delivers cytotoxic drugs to Trop-2 expressing tumor cells, minimizing systemic toxicity and improving survival compared to chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is also used in some TNBC cases.
Effects on the Body Compared to Chemotherapy
The specificity of targeted therapies generally results in fewer off-target effects and reduced systemic toxicity, improving patient quality of life. However, they may have unique side effects related to their mechanisms, such as cardiotoxicity with HER2-targeted antibodies or specific organ toxicities with ADCs.
Chemotherapy, on the other hand, kills rapidly dividing cells indiscriminately, leading to well-known side effects such as hair loss, nausea, bone marrow suppression, and increased infection risk due to broad toxicity.
The Evolving Landscape of Targeted Therapies
The use of targeted therapies in breast cancer treatment is a rapidly evolving field. The development of new antibody-drug conjugates and small molecule inhibitors is expanding targeted treatment options across subtypes, aiming to balance efficacy with reduced adverse effects, potentially bridging chemotherapy and highly selective treatments with sustained responses and improved tolerability.
This interactive treatment guide provides valuable information on the effects of targeted therapies on cancer cells and the body overall, but it does not discuss the unique actions of targeted therapies in cancer cells and the rest of the body compared to other anticancer treatments, the level of specificity of targeted therapies, the efficacy of targeted therapies depending on the specific subtype of breast cancer, or the specific side effects of these targeted therapies.
[1] BreastCancer.org. (2021). Targeted Therapies for Breast Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/targeted_therapies
[2] American Cancer Society. (2021). Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/targeted-therapy.html
[3] National Cancer Institute. (2021). Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/patient/breast-targeted-therapy-pdq
[4] ClinicalTrials.gov. (2021). Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Treating Patients With HER2-Low Metastatic Breast Cancer Previously Treated With Chemotherapy. Retrieved from https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03526766
- Negative breast cancer personas, like triple-negative breast cancer seekers, often experience fewer systemic toxicities with targeted therapies compared to traditional chemotherapy.
- Science and medical-conditions have led to a proliferation of triple therapies and therapies and treatments for breast cancer, with the BC community passing from negative cancer treatments like chemotherapy to more specific targeted therapies.
- The breast-cancer-driven growth in specific subtypes like Luminal A and HER2-Positive is inhibited by targeted therapies, offering a more negative approach to these cancer-driving molecules or pathways compared to broad chemotherapy treatments.
- The landscape of treatments for metastatic breast cancer evolves as health-and-wellness seekers find newer targeted therapies, such as ADCs, that offer fewer systemic side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
- The specificity of targeted therapies means that breast cancer switchers, who have tried various treatments, may encounter unique side effects related to their mechanisms, yet these are often fewer and less severe than those associated with chemotherapy.
- The use of targeted therapies within the body provides an improved approach for breast cancer treatment, as it specifically targets cancer-driving molecules or pathways rather than broadly attacking rapidly dividing cells, negating the negative effects on the rest of the body associated with chemotherapy.
- treatments, such as hormone therapies or HER2-targeted agents, allow for a more precise treatment of breast cancer subtypes compared to negative treatments like chemotherapy, with generally fewer systemic side effects.
