Targeted therapy
A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Some targeted therapies block the action of certain enzymes, proteins, or other molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. Other types of targeted therapies help the immune system kill cancer cells or deliver toxic substances directly to cancer cells and kill them. Most targeted therapies are either small molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies1.
BRAF-targeted therapy:
Targeted therapy is medication that interferes with the function of abnormal molecules within cancer tumour cells that regulate their growth. The goal of targeted therapy is to shut down the mutated molecules to slow the growth of melanoma cells—without harming healthy tissue.
About half of all melanoma cells have genetic mutations in the BRAF (pronounced bee-raf) protein. BRAF and MEK, another protein, are molecules that help regulate cell growth. A BRAF mutation triggers cells to develop abnormally and divide out of control. Targeted therapy drugs block the activity of the MEK protein and the mutated BRAF protein. In this way, the drugs slow or stop the growth and spread of melanoma
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