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Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer
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Treatment Guide
Monoclonal antibodies are typically for use in people who have HER2-positive breast cancer. They work by binding to proteins on the surface of breast cancer cells. This binding disrupts the activity of the cells and prevents them from growing.
Antibody-based therapies
Kinase inhibitors are typically used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer or hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.
Kinase inhibitors
Several types of targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer can cause digestive issues, especially if used with chemotherapy. Digestive issues may include:
Digestive side effects
nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain
loss of appetite and weight loss
diarrhea
constipation
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Doctors typically use PARP inhibitors to help treat early-stage and metastatic breast cancer in people with a BRCA gene mutation. This is because cancer cells with these mutations do not repair DNA well.
PARP inhibitors
In rare cases, targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer can cause damage to the heart and lungs. The likelihood of developing these side effects may be higher if used together with certain types of chemotherapies.
Heart and lung disease
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Digestive issues are common side effects of oral medications for metastatic breast cancer, including certain types of kinase inhibitors. People can take medications to help prevent or treat digestive issues.
Lung disease is rare but can be serious and potentially life threatening. A person should discuss any new lung symptoms with a healthcare professional.
In some cases, they may be linked to a chemotherapy drug, allowing for more efficient delivery of the chemotherapeutic to tumor cells. This is called an antibody-drug conjugate.
Monoclonal antibodies bind to proteins found at high concentrations on breast cancer cells and less frequently on healthy cells of the body, helping to minimize off-target effects
Kinases are proteins that control signaling pathways in all cells. Many of these pathways are overactive in breast cancer cells, leading to uncontrolled growth. Kinase inhibitors work by blocking these signals to slow the expansion of cancer cells in the body.
PARP proteins help repair damaged DNA within a cell. By reducing the action of PARP proteins in cancer cells, PARP inhibitors cause DNA damage to build up.
Blood effects
Targeted therapies used to treat metastatic breast cancer can potentially affect one or many different types of blood cells, which can cause issues such as:
Changes in blood cell counts can lead to other possible side effects, such as fatigue, clotting problems, and infections. Doctors can often manage blood effects to avoid complications.
anemia, from low red blood cell counts
thrombocytopenia, from low platelet counts
leukopenia, from low white blood cell counts
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In rare cases, certain types of targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors, can increase the likelihood of developing a secondary blood cancer.
There are several different types of kinase inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer treatment. They block different kinases that have been found to be overactive in different breast cancer subtypes.
By increasing DNA damage in cancer cells, PARP inhibitors prevent their ability to survive. The cells can no longer carry out the functions they need to, which ultimately leads to their death.
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