3. Targeted therapies are less likely to cause body-wide side effects than chemotherapy
Because targeted therapy doesn’t kill healthy cells like chemotherapy does, it’s less likely to cause hair loss, nausea, and other side effects associated with chemo treatments. “In aggregate, these drugs have been quite well tolerated and tend to cause fewer and less severe side effects than traditional chemotherapy,” says Garon.
4.…但是它们确实会引起一些副作用
“As with any drug, there can be toxicities,” Garon notes. Side effects of targeted therapy will depend on the type of drug, the dose, and your overall health, but the most common ones areskin rashandgastrointestinalsymptoms. Other side effects can include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, sore mouth, headache, loss of appetite, tingling in hands and feet, taste changes, and sleep problems. Your healthcare team can help you manage any side effects you experience during treatment.
5. Targeted drugs aren’t for everyone
“Probably fewer than 20 percent of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have genetic mutations that are currently targetable by FDA-approved medications,” says Garon. “In addition to approved therapies, however, there are other mutations in non-small-cell cancer for which there are drugs showing real promise in clinical trials.”
As the available targets go up, the percentage of patients with advanced NSCLC who are candidates for this type of treatment will continue to increase.
6. You need to be tested to know if targeted therapy is an option for you
The only way to know if you’re a candidate for a targeted therapy is to undergo genetic testing (also known as genomic testing or molecular profiling). This involves checking for certain gene or chromosomal changes known to occur in NSCLC in a sample of your cancer tissue, and is often done at the same time as your initialbiopsy(using the same tissue sample).
虽然基因测试被认为是转移性NSCLC中的护理标准，但不仅要询问您的医生如果您正在测试您，但正好对哪些突变进行了测试，强调Garon。他说：“您要确保对具有FDA批准疗法的突变进行测试，但也可能尚未批准疗法，但现在有药物在临床试验中显示出希望。”
Comprehensive genetic testing will help you and your doctor determine all your possible treatment choices.
7. Targeted drugs can be expensive
The cost of targeted therapy depends on the drug used, but some can run thousands of dollars per month, according to the ACS. Health insurance plans typically cover at least some of the cost, but each plan is different. Your plan may cover targeted drugs taken by mouth under their prescription drug benefit, rather than their chemotherapy benefit, which may mean you will pay more out of pocket than would for IV drugs given in a hospital or clinic. Before you start treatment, find out how much your insurer will pay for any targeted drug you take. If you need help covering the cost, ask your healthcare team about getting help from the drug company or applying for a copay or prescription drug assistance program.
8.您可能仍然需要其他治疗
EGRF或ALK基因中突变的患者通常将靶向治疗作为第一线治疗。Garon说：“具有其他类型突变的患者有时会采用基于化学疗法的方法，然后转化为靶向疗法。”
Even if you start treatment with a targeted therapy alone, you may need other types of treatment at some point in your cancer journey. “Over time the lung cancer cells may develop a way of continuing to grow despite the drug and the therapy is no longer effective,” Garon explains. When that happens can vary significantly, from several months to several years. When a targeted treatment is no longer effective, you may need to go on chemotherapy or immunotherapy or a combination of the two.
