Lung cancer is a disease that involves the malignant growth of the cells that make up the air passages inside the lungs. Doctors classify lung cancer as non-small cell and small cell growths depending on the appearance of the tumor cells under a microscope. Targeted cancer therapy is cancer treatment that uses drugs to inhibit specific molecules needed for tumor cell growth and division, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). There are several targeted cancer therapies available to doctors for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Gefitinib (Iressa)
Gefitinib is an oral, prescription anticancer drug that can treat non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have not responded to other chemotherapy drugs, reports Drugs.com. It works by preventing the enzyme tyrosine kinase from sending a growth and division signal to the lung cancer cells. Without this signal, the cancer cells cannot continue to grow and will eventually die. The adult oral dose of this medication is 250 mg once a day. Throughout the course of treatment, the patient's doctor will check to determine that the drug is working effectively and that side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, anorexia, eye problems and difficulty breathing are not too problematic. Patients can expect that the cancer will respond to the drug for a median time of seven months.
Erlotinib (Tarceva)
According to the Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR), erlotinib is an oral prescription medication for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in patients who have failed to respond to at least one other chemotherapy agent. It works by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme tyrosine kinase at the epidermal growth factor receptor on the tumor cells. This means that tyrosine kinase cannot send a signal to the cancer cells to grow and divide, and they will eventually die. The adult oral dose is 150 mg once a day, and the patient should take the medication on an empty stomach, says the MPR. The treatment should continue until the cancer stops responding and the disease begins to progress, or side effects become intolerable. A doctor will stop treatment if liver failure, gastrointestinal perforation or dehydration approaching the point of kidney failure occurs. Common side effects may include rash, upset stomach, anorexia, fatigue and inflammation of the inside lining of the mouth (stomatitis).
Bevacizumab (Avastin)
Bevacizumab is a medication that doctors prescribe for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, reports the Mayo Clinic. It is a targeted therapy in which the drug binds to a certain blood vessel growth factor, thereby prohibiting the generation of new blood vessels in a tumor. This retards the growth of the tumor cells because they cannot get enough nourishment. According to the Mayo Clinic, a doctor administers the drug intravenously in a hospital or cancer treatment center. The IV dose is 10 mg per kilogram every two weeks. It is important to know that bevacizumab may cause bleeding problems. If vomiting of blood or bloody diarrhea occurs during treatment, the patient's doctor should know about it immediately.
