[Medical Q&A] How do targeted drugs accurately attack cancer cells?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Liu Weiping, Chief Physician, Peking University Cancer Hospital

Targeted drugs are called "precise strikes" against cancer cells because they can specifically attack certain characteristics of cancer cells without harming normal cells. We can imagine cancer cells and normal cells as different houses, and targeted drugs are like a special key that can only open the door of cancer cells.

Each cancer cell has its own unique "lock," which is a specific molecule or protein on the cell's surface or inside. These molecules or proteins help cancer cells grow, proliferate, and survive. Targeted drugs are designed to recognize and bind to the "keys" of these specific molecules or proteins. When the drug finds and binds to these "locks" of cancer cells, it interferes with the activity of the cancer cells, such as preventing their growth, blocking their signaling pathways, or directly killing the cancer cells. For example, some types of breast cancer cells have a protein called HER2 on their surface that helps cancer cells grow rapidly. Targeted drugs for HER2, such as trastuzumab, can recognize and bind to the HER2 protein, thereby preventing the growth of cancer cells, causing them to stop proliferating or even die.

In short, targeted drugs can achieve precise strikes on cancer cells by identifying and attacking specific molecules or proteins unique to cancer cells, while minimizing damage to normal cells, thereby improving the effectiveness of treatment and reducing side effects. This "precision strike" makes targeted drugs a very important tool in modern cancer treatment.