Targeted Therapy for Prostate Cancer

According to information from the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer is a type of cancer which is far more likely to affect men over the age of 50. In many cases, prostate cancer is a rather mild form of cancer, developing slowly and offering the individual so affected with a number of reasonable treatment options to curtail the spread of cancer. Targeted therapy is one type of treatment methodology for prostate cancer, involving a variety of treatments designed to specifically target the cancerous tissue while leaving healthy cells as unaffected as possible.

Targeted Therapies

• According to information from the University of Florida, one form of targeted therapy involves compounds called Selective Endothelin A Receptor Antagonist, or SERAs, for short. These compounds work due to the unique way that cancer cells develop and reproduce, aiming to stop or slow the spread of cancer by blocking cancer cells' ability to utilize the endothelin A receptor, their normal method of development.

  Another type of targeted therapy for prostate cancer involves the use of monoclonal antibodies. These are substances which locate and target cancer cells by positively identifying those types of protein that are more common to cancerous cells. Once identified, monoclonal antibodies act against the cancer cells by preventing them from binding to substances present within the blood, effectively starving the cancerous tissue. Another way in which monoclonal antibodies work is by infusing the antibodies with radioactivity. Once complete, the antibodies act as tiny homing missiles, locating the cancerous cells and killing them with radiation.

  A final option for targeted therapy to combat prostate cancer is the drug MDV3100, designed to treat the most deadly form of advanced prostate cancer. This drug acts to reduce the development of prostate cancer by preventing it from using androgen (male sex hormones) to fuel its growth. Like most forms of targeted therapy for prostate cancer, MDV3100 is still in clinical trials, making it a less-than-accessible form of treatment for many prostate cancer sufferers.

Targeted Therapy Pros and Cons

• Consider well the various pros and cons of targeted therapy methods before discussing these issues with your treatment team. The primary advantage to targeted therapy is that targeted therapies manage to destroy cancerous tissue while leaving the unaffected cells in relative peace, when compared to more conventional treatments. The primary downside to targeted therapy is that targeted therapy does not have the decades-long record of effective use, like the commonly accepted treatment methods for prostate cancer that include radiation therapy, chemo therapy and surgery. Some forms of targeted therapy are still involved in their clinical trials, which means that no data is present regarding the long-term efficacy or side effects of treatment.