Targeted Therapies for Lung Cancer

Targeting Biomarkers

Targeted therapy is a treatment for patients who have certain errors, or abnormalities, in their tumors. If you think of DNA like words in a book, errors are like typos in the DNA. Errors in DNA can lead to uncontrolled cell growth, or cancer. Targeted therapy works by addressing those “typos”, or errors, in the DNA and stopping the cell growth.

Targeted therapy drugs work differently than chemotherapy. Chemotherapy sends medicine throughout the body to kill many cells, including cancer cells. However, chemotherapy can also kill healthy cells, which may cause certain side effects like hair loss and digestive upset. Targeted therapies sometimes cause fewer side effects because they target exactly what is wrong with the cancer cells instead of killing normal, healthy cells, too.

Types of Targeted Therapy

In general, targeted therapies work by blocking cell growth. There are several ways drugs can do this:

• Tyrosine kinase inhibitors work by blocking the processes cells use to grow and divide. They are usually given in pill form.
• Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) use aspects of the immune system to bind the drug to the cancer cell. Once the drug and the cancer cell meet, the drug releases chemotherapy into the cell and kills it. ADCs are sometimes called targeted chemotherapies and are usually given through an IV. Learn more about how ADCs work in this video.
• Angiogenesis inhibitors work by cutting off nourishment to the cell by stopping the growth of new blood cells. In general, angiogenesis inhibitors are made from something called monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made versions of a specific immune system protein that target cancer cells. These drugs are often given through an IV.

Approved Targeted Therapy Drugs

There are currently FDA-approved targeted therapies for lung cancer tumors showing characteristics of errors or abnormalities in: 

• EGFR (including EGFR exon 20)
• ALK
• ROS-1
• NTRK
• MET
• RET
• BRAF V600E
• HER2
• KRAS

If you do not test positive for a biomarker with an approved targeted therapy, traditional chemotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination of the two may be recommended. Surgery or radiation may also be recommended. It may also be appropriate to enroll in a clinical trial looking at treatments for a number of other markers.

Not every person is eligible for targeted therapies for lung cancer. However, the only way to find out is through biomarker testing. There are different types of biomarker tests, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), which looks for many biomarkers at one time. All lung cancer patients should talk with their doctor about biomarker testing to make sure patients receive the most appropriate treatment for their specific type of lung cancer.