Cancer treatment has advanced far from the days when surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy were the primary options. Over the last two decades, two treatment approaches have improved the field of oncology: targeted therapy and immunotherapy. These precision oncology protocols, as the term implies, eradicate cancer cells more precisely and with fewer harmful effects on healthy tissue. But in what ways do these treatments differ?
What Is Targeted Therapy?
Targeted therapy refers to drugs developed to attack specific molecular features of cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, which kills malignant and healthy cells, targeted drugs spare healthy tissue. Instead of destroying everything in their path, they try to stop the biological processes that cancer cells exploit to grow, divide, and spread.
Clinical researchers develop these “smart drug treatments” after they identify genetic mutations or abnormal proteins that drive tumor growth. Drugs block or inhibit these targets to slow or stop cancer progression.
How Targeted Therapy Works
Targeted therapies address cancer growth through the following:
- Signal inhibition: Some medications block signals that tell cancer cells to grow, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in lung cancer.
- Immune recognition assistance: Monoclonal antibodies attach to abnormal proteins on cancer cells, flagging them for immune destruction.
- Angiogenesis blockade: Certain therapies prevent tumors from forming blood vessels, thereby depriving them of essential nutrients and oxygen.
- Hormone pathway suppression: Hormone therapies prevent hormone-sensitive cancers like breast and prostate cancer from receiving signals that fuel growth.
Some examples of targeted drugs include:
- Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers.
- Imatinib (Gleevec) for gastrointestinal stromal tumors and chronic myeloid leukemia.
- Erlotinib (Tarceva) for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.
- Bevacizumab (Avastin) for inhibiting angiogenesis in colorectal, lung, and kidney cancers.
As long as the relevant mutation or molecular abnormality is present, research indicates that progression-free survival and overall survival rates are higher in patients who receive targeted therapy compared to those who receive chemotherapy alone. For this reason, genetic and biomarker testing are now a routine part of determining treatment options.
What Is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy harnesses the patient’s immune system to detect and destroy cancer. Under normal circumstances, cancer cells evade immune detection by disguising themselves as normal cells or by suppressing immune activity. Immunotherapy removes these barriers or enhances immune function.
Results from several clinical trials found that six months of immunotherapy or just four weeks of immunotherapy after minor surgery may be the only treatment some patients ever need.
Types of Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy has several treatment categories that enhance or redirect the immune system’s ability to detect and attack cancer. Each works differently and applies to specific cancers. Some have already become standard care, while others remain in clinical trials:
- Checkpoint inhibitors: These drugs block proteins such as PD-1, PD-L1, or CTLA-4 that malignant cells use to turn off immune responses. Common checkpoint inhibitors include pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo).
- CAR T-cell therapy: This treatment involves removing a patient’s T-cells, genetically modifying them to recognize cancer, and then reinfusing them. It has demonstrated success in certain types of leukemias and lymphomas.
- Cytokine therapy: Interleukins and interferons stimulate immune cell growth and activity.
- Therapeutic cancer vaccines: These stimulate the immune system to recognize specific cancer-related antigens.
Immunotherapy has gained attention for producing positive, long-lasting responses, including but not limited to patients with advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and certain blood cancers.
Differences Between Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy
While often mentioned together, they differ in function, benefits, and treatment duration. Let’s compare them side by side:
Therapeutic Approach
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy operate on separate principles.
Targeted therapy blocks molecular abnormalities inside cancer cells, which cuts off their ability to grow and spread. Immunotherapy strengthens immune activity against tumors by knocking down the walls that prevent immune cells from attacking.
- Targeted therapy drugs interfere with cancer cell signaling pathways or abnormal proteins.
- Immunotherapy agents restore immune responses by inhibiting checkpoint proteins or modifying immune cells.
Specificity
Most oncologists recommend targeted therapy when the tumor contains a genetic mutation or abnormal protein that a drug can block. Immunotherapy, on the other hand, does not require a single molecular abnormality; instead, it enhances immune function against a wide range of tumor signals.
- Targeted therapy works when cancer cells express markers such as HER2 or EGFR.
- Immunotherapy effectiveness is linked to factors like PD-L1 expression or tumor mutational burden.
Treatment Course
Most patients take targeted drugs continuously because cancer cells adapt and develop resistance. In contrast, physicians prescribe immunotherapy in cycles, and in some patients, the immune system continues to control cancer after treatment ends.
- Physicians prescribe targeted therapy until the tumor stops responding.
- Doctors give immunotherapy in limited cycles, though some patients experience long-term responses.
Common Cancer Types Treated
Different cancers respond to these methods based on their biology. Targeted therapy is most effective in cancers with well-defined mutations, while immunotherapy tends to benefit cancers with higher immune visibility or genetic instability. For example:
- Targeted therapy is standard for HER2-positive breast cancer, EGFR-mutated lung cancer, and BRAF-mutated melanoma.
- Immunotherapy treats a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, and non-small cell lung cancer.
Can these therapies treat YOUR specific cancer?
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy treat cancer in very different ways. Both can help patients, but neither applies to every case.
Doctors consider each patient’s cancer type, tumor stage, genetics, biomarker findings, and overall health before deciding between the two, if at all. For some cancers, targeted therapy works best. For others, immunotherapy produces better results. In some instances, physicians combine them with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation to improve outcomes. Nevertheless, the only way to determine whether targeted therapy or immunotherapy can treat your cancer is through thorough testing and consultation with an oncology team.
Broaden Your Cancer Treatment Options at New Hope Unlimited
Cancer can return or progress even after successful treatment. If you or a loved one faces a new diagnosis or recurrence, New Hope Unlimited’s medical team specializes in advanced, integrative therapies that strengthen the immune system and improve quality of life. We combine evidence-based conventional treatments with supportive and holistic care tailored to each patient’s needs.
Our approach includes precision oncology, detoxification, pain management, and personalized protocols designed to address cancer and the side effects of treatment. Every patient receives compassionate, comprehensive care in a supportive environment, which we uphold from the first consultation through follow-up.
Do not delay in seeking treatment when cancer develops or recurs. Contact New Hope Unlimited today to learn how our team can help you pursue better outcomes and renewed hope for recovery.
