Targeted therapies attack specific molecular agents or pathways involved in the development of cancer. For example, the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) targets a certain gene's protein called HER2/neu that is found on the surface of some cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapies can kill cancer cells with little impact on healthy cells. One of the drawbacks of these therapies is that they only work on cancers that have the specific agents they were designed to target. Therefore, many people are not eligible for treatment with these therapies.
The growing range of targeted therapies offers promise for current and future breast cancer treatments.
Updated 08/25/09
