How does targeted therapy differ from traditional chemotherapy?

Targeted therapy is specifically designed to interact with particular molecular targets that are associated with cancer. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which indiscriminately affects all rapidly dividing cells, targeted therapies hone in on specific cancer cell characteristics or pathways. This allows targeted therapy to preferentially attack cancer cells while causing minimal harm to normal cells. As a result, patients often experience fewer side effects compared to those undergoing traditional chemotherapy, which can damage healthy cells throughout the body.

The other options are less accurate in describing the nature of targeted therapy. For instance, while targeted therapies may sometimes be more cost-effective than certain chemotherapy regimens, they can also be quite expensive, especially depending on the specific drug used. Claims that targeted therapies have no side effects are misleading, as while they typically have different side effects than chemotherapy, they can still cause adverse reactions. Additionally, targeted therapies are not universally applicable to all patients; their effectiveness often depends on the genetic makeup of both the patient and the tumor, which means they are specifically tailored to certain types of cancer and not necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution.