WEBVTT 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.000 Targeted cancer therapies specifically interfere with the processes 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.862 that are crucial for the growth of a cancer. 00:00:14.862 --> 00:00:18.868 Treatment with targeted drugs may be an option 00:00:18.868 --> 00:00:20.212 depending on: 00:00:20.212 --> 00:00:21.517 • the type of cancer, 00:00:21.517 --> 00:00:24.743 • the specific features of the cancerous cells 00:00:24.743 --> 00:00:27.080 • and the stage of the disease. 00:00:27.080 --> 00:00:31.079 This means that patients need to undergo initial tests to determine 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:34.837 whether their cancerous cells have the specific biological structures 00:00:34.837 --> 00:00:38.362 that targeted therapy is designed to attack. 00:00:38.362 --> 00:00:42.323 There are a number of ways in which the active ingredients in the drugs 00:00:42.323 --> 00:00:44.073 used in targeted cancer therapy 00:00:44.073 --> 00:00:46.243 can interfere with the growth of the cancer. 00:00:46.243 --> 00:00:48.587 The most important of these are as follows: 00:00:48.587 --> 00:00:51.438 They can suppress growth signals 00:00:51.438 --> 00:00:56.282 by either intercepting or blocking them. 00:00:56.282 --> 00:01:00.392 This helps to stop cancerous cells from dividing and reproducing. 00:01:00.392 --> 00:01:04.220 They may also include anti-hormone therapy. 00:01:04.220 --> 00:01:07.735 They can deprive a tumor of nutrients 00:01:07.735 --> 00:01:10.735 by preventing the growth of new blood vessels 00:01:10.735 --> 00:01:14.337 that supply it with oxygen and nutrition. 00:01:14.337 --> 00:01:18.103 They can disrupt the process by which protein is broken down 00:01:18.103 --> 00:01:20.759 in cancerous cells, causing an imbalance 00:01:20.759 --> 00:01:22.806 and even in some cases killing the cells. 00:01:22.806 --> 00:01:26.485 They can damage the cells’ repair mechanisms over time 00:01:26.485 --> 00:01:32.751 by smuggling in so many errors into the cells’ genetic material that they die. 00:01:32.751 --> 00:01:37.282 They can activate the cancerous cells’ self-destruct program (apoptosis). 00:01:37.282 --> 00:01:39.901 They can correct the genetic transcription errors 00:01:39.901 --> 00:01:42.432 that are typical of cancer cells 00:01:42.432 --> 00:01:47.509 by turning cancer-inhibiting genes back on and turning cancer-inducing genes off. 00:01:47.509 --> 00:01:50.306 The active ingredients in targeted drugs 00:01:50.306 --> 00:01:52.829 can also activate the body’s own immune system 00:01:52.829 --> 00:01:55.728 to target the cancer. 00:01:55.728 --> 00:02:00.579 These therapies are also referred to by experts as immunotherapy. 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:04.938 Finally, a targeted substance can also be combined with, for example, 00:02:04.938 --> 00:02:07.415 a chemotherapy drug. 00:02:07.415 --> 00:02:12.079 This allows the drug to be delivered straight to the cancerous cells. 00:02:12.079 --> 00:02:17.540 Targeted drugs may include monoclonal antibodies. 00:02:17.540 --> 00:02:19.876 These are large protein molecules. 00:02:19.876 --> 00:02:22.495 They can, for example, bind to 00:02:22.495 --> 00:02:26.321 specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of the cancer cells 00:02:26.321 --> 00:02:28.313 and deactivate the cells. 00:02:28.313 --> 00:02:33.470 Most patients will be given antibodies by infusion directly into the bloodstream, 00:02:33.470 --> 00:02:37.321 or in a few cases by subcutaneous injection. 00:02:37.321 --> 00:02:43.000 Targeted cancer therapy can also involve “small molecule” cancer drugs. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.782 These can, for example, enter the cell 00:02:45.782 --> 00:02:49.000 and stop signals from reaching the cell nucleus. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.657 These active ingredients are mostly administered as tablets. 00:02:52.657 --> 00:02:55.471 Targeted therapies can be applied alone 00:02:55.471 --> 00:02:59.634 or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. 00:02:59.634 --> 00:03:02.665 This type of therapy is mostly used 00:03:02.665 --> 00:03:05.782 if the cancer is already at an advanced stage 00:03:05.782 --> 00:03:08.532 and metastases have already formed. 00:03:08.532 --> 00:03:11.253 People in the advanced stages of cancer 00:03:11.253 --> 00:03:15.000 are generally given these drugs for as long as they work 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.165 or until unacceptable side effects occur. 00:03:19.165 --> 00:03:23.829 Although targeted cancer therapies are more specific to cancerous cells 00:03:23.829 --> 00:03:25.979 than chemotherapy or radiotherapy, 00:03:25.979 --> 00:03:30.517 they can also have side effects, for example on the cardiovascular system, 00:03:30.517 --> 00:03:33.235 the gastrointestinal tract or the skin. 00:03:33.235 --> 00:03:37.040 So the progress of the treatment requires the same level of medical monitoring 00:03:37.040 --> 00:03:41.427 as any other form of cancer therapy. 00:03:42.291 --> 00:03:44.306 In short: 00:03:44.306 --> 00:03:46.018 Targeted therapies use drugs 00:03:46.018 --> 00:03:49.667 to target specific biological structures in cancerous cells 00:03:49.667 --> 00:03:53.321 which play a crucial role in the growth of the cancer. 00:03:53.321 --> 00:03:55.868 Targeted therapy is only effective in cancers 00:03:55.868 --> 00:03:58.532 which have these specific features. 00:03:58.532 --> 00:04:00.979 The therapy can be applied alone 00:04:00.979 --> 00:04:05.493 or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. 00:04:05.493 --> 00:04:10.563 It is mostly used in people in the advanced stages of cancer. 00:04:10.563 --> 00:04:12.753 In these situations the therapeutic goal 00:04:12.753 --> 00:04:16.917 is not to cure the disease but to inhibit the growth of the cancer 00:04:16.917 --> 00:04:19.000 and alleviate symptoms. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:23.368 Depending on the active ingredient, targeted drugs are administered 00:04:23.368 --> 00:04:28.034 by infusion, tablets or subcutaneous injection. 00:04:28.034 --> 00:04:32.142 Although targeted drugs act on cancer cells in particular, 00:04:32.142 --> 00:04:40.054 like other therapies they may occasionally have serious side effects.