Health Care Innovation: Targeted Therapy
Targeted Therapy:
A New Generation of Health Care Innovation
Michael A. Kline
University of Phoenix
HCA/210 Introduction to Health Care
Jon Lasell
February 9, 2014
Targeted Therapy:
A New Generation of Health Care Innovation
Could targeted therapy be the “new” trend in fighting degenerative cancer genes that are affect nearly 13,000,000 people in the world? Scientific and technological advances and in the health care system have, and will continue to change as long as there are researchers willing and able to create new innovations for the continuum of care.
There is no general definition for molecular or targeted therapy. Targeted therapy can block the growth and spread of cancer, thus preventing cancer cells from dividing or destroying. The idea behind this therapy is to create drugs that attack molecular pathways that cause disease, without upsetting the normal functions of other cells and tissues throughout the human body.
The American Cancer Society list Breast cancer as the second cause of death in women, right behind brain and other nervous system cancers. Over, 2,000,000 women have been diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer, and this number will continue to rise and fall. Targeted therapy has already had a significant improvement for the outcomes for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer. However, Chemotherapy continues to be the mainstream way for cancer treatments because of evaluations on safety and ability from the drug combinations of targeted therapy. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the role of assessing clinical trials during approval processes. Chemotherapy and the combination of targeted therapy drugs like Herceptin have shown increases in survival and response rates. For normal cells to become cancer cells is a process called carcinogenesis and targeted therapy find the molecules that create signals in pathways to keep this process from happening. Drugs are introduced that block such pathways.
A New Generation of Health Care Innovation
Michael A. Kline
University of Phoenix
HCA/210 Introduction to Health Care
Jon Lasell
February 9, 2014
Targeted Therapy:
A New Generation of Health Care Innovation
Could targeted therapy be the “new” trend in fighting degenerative cancer genes that are affect nearly 13,000,000 people in the world? Scientific and technological advances and in the health care system have, and will continue to change as long as there are researchers willing and able to create new innovations for the continuum of care.
There is no general definition for molecular or targeted therapy. Targeted therapy can block the growth and spread of cancer, thus preventing cancer cells from dividing or destroying. The idea behind this therapy is to create drugs that attack molecular pathways that cause disease, without upsetting the normal functions of other cells and tissues throughout the human body.
The American Cancer Society list Breast cancer as the second cause of death in women, right behind brain and other nervous system cancers. Over, 2,000,000 women have been diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer, and this number will continue to rise and fall. Targeted therapy has already had a significant improvement for the outcomes for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer. However, Chemotherapy continues to be the mainstream way for cancer treatments because of evaluations on safety and ability from the drug combinations of targeted therapy. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the role of assessing clinical trials during approval processes. Chemotherapy and the combination of targeted therapy drugs like Herceptin have shown increases in survival and response rates. For normal cells to become cancer cells is a process called carcinogenesis and targeted therapy find the molecules that create signals in pathways to keep this process from happening. Drugs are introduced that block such pathways.
References: Azvolinsky, Anna M.D. (2012, May 30). The Rising Cost of Cancer in the Era of Individualized Therapy: Q&A with Thomas J. Smith, M.D. Retrieved from OncLive Bringing the Community Together: http://www.onclive.com/publications/targeted-therapy- news/2012/june-2012/The-Rising-Cost-of-Cancer-Care-in-the-Era-of-Individualized- Therapy-A-QandA-With-Thomas-J-Smith-MD The Value of Medical Innovation. (2013). Retrieved from http://valueofinnovation.org Nahta, R., & Esteva, F.J. (2006). Herceptin: Mechanisms of Action and Resistance. Cancer Letters, 123-138