How Targeted Therapy Works for Advanced Breast Cancer Patients

For the majority of women diagnosed with advanced Breast Cancer, treatment is not only about getting to the end of treatments as quickly as possible, but rather it is now more focused on structure and balance, and ensuring that they maintain their quality of life. Within the past ten years, targeted therapies have dramatically changed how physicians approach the treatment of advanced disease, enabling more accurate treatment than has traditionally been available with chemotherapy.

This article will present a simple explanation of what targeted treatment is, what it does, why we use targeted treatment and its place in the long-term care of women with advanced BC.

What Makes Targeted Therapy Different From Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy has been used for many years to treat different types of cancer. It works by destroying rapidly dividing cancer cells.
• Healthy fast-growing cells are also affected, leading to side effects such as nausea, low blood counts, and hair loss.
• Targeted therapies, also called precision medicine, work differently from chemotherapy.
• They focus on specific genes, proteins, or pathways that promote cancer cell growth and survival. By blocking these signals, targeted therapy slows or stops cancer cell growth.

Why Targeted Therapy Is Used in Advanced Breast Cancer

Advanced breast cancer can be seen as multiple conditions due to the diverse characteristics of breast tumours (hormones that drive them, growth rates). Doctors typically use targeted therapy when:

• Cancer has a specific biological marker.
• Basically, they have failed on hormone-based treatments alone; and/or
• Doctors want long-term control of the disease (not just a cure).

Targeted therapy allows for more individualised treatment compared with the standard approach (no 'one size fits all').

How Cancer Cells Use Internal Signals to Grow

Cancer cells survive by hijacking normal cell processes. They depend on internal signals that tell them when to grow, divide, and avoid natural cell death.

Targeted therapies are designed to:

• Interrupt growth signals.
• Block pathways that help cancer cells resist treatment.
• Reduce the cancer’s ability to adapt.

By disrupting these processes, targeted therapy makes it harder for cancer cells to survive and spread.

How Targeted Therapy Fits Into Real-World Treatment Plans

In daily practice, targeted therapy is rarely used on its own. It is commonly combined with hormone therapy or other systemic treatments, depending on the behaviour of the cancer.

Patients may receive targeted therapy:

• Continuously over long periods.
• As part of a combination treatment approach.
• With dose adjustments based on tolerance and response.

The focus is not only on tumour control but also on maintaining daily functioning and quality of life.

What Patients Commonly Experience During Treatment

While every woman has her own experience, there are several trends that both clinicians and patients consistently notice through their interaction over time. For example, some common trends are:

• Improvements in symptoms occur over an extended period, not immediately, resulting from treatment.
• Developing side effects occurs over an extended period rather than immediately from treatment.
• The majority of patients require continued evaluation through blood tests and scans.

Since many patients' treatment plans span months to years, it is necessary for the patient to communicate with the care team regularly.

Side Effects: What to Expect and How They Are Managed

Targeted therapies have a variety of potential side effects based on the specific signalling pathway targeted. Patients can usually anticipate and effectively manage these side effects if they are recognised early enough.

Patients may experience:

• Aphtous (general) ulcers in the mouth.
• Skin problems.
• A feeling of fatigue.
• Discomfort in their digestive systems.
• Changes to their glucose and cholesterol levels.

Physicians will typically manage these side effects through dosage adjustments, supportive or symptomatic medications, and lifestyle habit recommendations. Reporting symptoms early will help reduce the likelihood of treatment interruption.

Where Specific Medicines Fit In

Oncologists sometimes prescribe Advacan Tablets containing Everolimus to treat patients with advanced hormone-sensitive cancer. These Medicines help patients who have developed resistance to hormonal therapy by attacking the same pathways that cancer utilises to avoid hormonal inhibitors.

However, before prescribing these medications, oncologists will conduct a thorough evaluation of the patient's medical history and closely monitor the patient while they are taking them.

The Emotional Side of Targeted Therapy

Advanced breast cancer means living with uncertainty. While targeted therapy may provide hope for stability, the longer-term experience of living with this treatment often requires patience as well as emotional adjustment to its associated side effects.

Most women express:

• The relief they experience when their disease is found to be stable.
• Anxiety due to the time between scans.
• Fatigue due to the long-term nature of treatment decisions.
• Medical support is as important to many women during this time as their emotional well-being, and should be included in any treatment plans.

The use of an inclusive decision-making approach creates a foundation of relationship and trust, resulting in improved outcomes.

Why Targeted Therapy Is About Control, Not Cure

Targeted Therapy for advanced breast cancer is not typically described as curing the disease but rather as a means of:

1. Slowing disease progression.
2. Reducing Symptoms.
3. Extending the meaningful life of the patient.

Success in these cases is measured not only by the number of months or years the patient lives, but also by the quality of life experienced.

Final Thoughts

Targeted therapies are a dramatic departure from traditional chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Targeted therapies allow patients to select from a much more limited range of treatment options than with standard chemotherapy; however, they allow physicians to provide patients with greater individualised care based upon the patient's contribution to the development of their breast cancer and specific mechanisms of disease progression.

In addition, by enhancing their knowledge of targeted therapy, patients can better engage in informed decision-making and seek appropriate treatment aligned with their values and goals.