Oral Cancer Targeted Drug Therapy
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Video: Targeted Drug Therapy
Dr. Dennis Citrin discusses targeted drug therapies.Targeted Drug Therapy
Targeted drug therapy focuses on cancer cells and may be able to avoid harm to healthy cells. Listen to Dr. Dennis Citrin talk about this treatment.
Targeted Drug Therapy for Oral Cancer
Targeted drug therapies block the growth and spread of cancer by preventing cancer cells from dividing or destroying them directly. Unlike chemotherapy, which affects all cells in the body, targeted drug therapy blocks or kills cancer cells and spares more healthy cells, reducing side effects and improving your quality of life.
One potential target in oral cancer is the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. Studies have shown that many oral cancer cells contain too many copies of EGFR. This excess allows the cancer cells to grow faster and to become resistant to radiation and/or chemotherapy. Treating oral cancer with a drug that targets EGFR may help kill cancer cells without harming normal tissues.
Your oncologist may suggest using an EGFR-targeted drug in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat oral cancer. If cancer has stopped responding to radiation and chemotherapy, then oral cancer targeted drug therapy may be used on its own to help control the disease.
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