Kidney Cancer Targeted Drug Therapy
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The kidney cancer team at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) uses a variety of targeted therapies for patients with advanced stage and metastatic disease. Targeted therapy can identify the unique characteristics of cancer cells, with less harm to healthy, normal cells.
Targeted drug therapies interfere with cancer cell growth on a molecular level. Some drugs affect angiogenesis, a process in which new blood vessels grow and feed cancers. Others target different cell growth factors, such as mTOR inhibitors.
Your oncologist may include one or more of the following kidney cancer targeted drug therapy options in your treatment plan:
- Sutent® deprives cancer cells of blood and nutrients to shrink tumors.
- Nexavar® blocks a tumor’s ability to increase blood supply and interferes with tumor growth.
- Votrient® targets the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow.
- Torisel® inhibits cancer cell growth and survival by blocking the mTOR pathway.
- Afinitor® is another mTOR inhibitor.
- Avastin® interferes with blood supply to a tumor to slow or stop growth.
Sutent, Nexavar and the other drugs listed are given orally, usually one at a time, to check for which drug is best tolerated. Once a tolerable drug is found, your oncologist may switch drugs after a specified amount of time to continue aggressive treatment.
Side effects from kidney cancer targeted drug therapy may vary. As always, we take a whole-person approach to treatment and attempt to manage any side effects with nutrition therapy, naturopathic medicine, and other supportive therapies.
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