Overview
Targeted therapy is a type of drug that finds and attacks certain parts of cancer cells to stop the cancer growing or spreading.
These drugs travel through your body like chemotherapy, but they focus more on the cancer. This means targeted therapy often has fewer side effects than chemotherapy.
A cancer diagnosis can be a shock. Find helpful information in Just diagnosed, or call Cancer Connect on 13 11 20 to talk it through with our qualified professionals.
What's in this fact sheet
About targeted therapy
Understand how targeted therapy works and how it's different to chemotherapy.
Common questions
Targeted therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Find out how doctors can tell if it might be right for you, how it’s given and answers to other common questions.
Managing side effects
Targeted therapy aims to protect healthy cells, but may still cause side effects. Learn how to manage common side effects such as skin problems, fever, tiredness and sore joints.
Types of targeted therapy
There are 2 main groups of targeted therapy drugs: monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors. Learn more about the different types of drugs and how they work.
Gene changes and cancer
Targeted therapy only works for cancers with certain gene changes. Find out more about testing for gene changes.
Questions to ask your doctor
It can be a good idea to prepare a list of questions before your appointments. See our list of questions about targeted therapy.
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