Targeted and Molecular Therapy

Cancer treatments built on a drug engineered to act on a specific molecule, receptor, enzyme or genetic pathway that drives a particular tumor's growth, rather than on cells that divide quickly in general. This includes targeted therapy broadly and its lung-cancer-specific application, the Bcr-Abl tyrosine-kinase inhibitor class used against chronic myeloid leukemia's specific fusion protein, PARP inhibitor therapy used against tumors with defective DNA-repair pathways, and antibody-drug conjugate therapy, which links a monoclonal antibody's targeting ability to a cytotoxic payload delivered only to cells the antibody recognizes. A monoclonal antibody whose primary mechanism is recruiting or activating the immune system rather than delivering a targeted payload or blocking a specific growth pathway is grouped instead under immunotherapy.