How is targeted therapy different from chemotherapy?

Targeted therapy and chemotherapy work in different ways. According to the National Cancer Institute, most types of targeted therapy help treat cancer by interfering with specific proteins that help tumors grow and spread throughout the body. This is different from chemotherapy, which often kills all cells that grow and divide quickly.

Targeted therapy can work in several ways — for example, by stopping the signals that tell cancer cells to grow, blocking the formation of new blood vessels that tumors need, or delivering cell-killing substances directly to cancer cells so that cells without the target are not harmed.

It is worth knowing that when targeted therapy was first developed, scientists thought it would be less toxic than chemotherapy, but they have learned it can also cause serious side effects. Your healthcare team can explain how a specific treatment is expected to work for you.