Targeted Therapy and Its Types: Advances, Challenges, and the Role of Bacterial Toxins in Cancer Treatment
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Abstract
Cancer continues to be a major global health challenge, ranking among the leading causes of mortality despite advancements in conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Targeted therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by selectively targeting molecular abnormalities in cancer cells, offering enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity compared to traditional approaches. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the principal types of targeted therapy, including monoclonal antibodies, small molecule inhibitors, and emerging modalities such as antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors. It also examines the challenges posed by resistance mechanisms, including genetic mutations, tumor microenvironment adaptations, and efflux pump overexpression, which limit therapeutic success. Furthermore, the review explores the innovative application of bacterial toxins, such as diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin, as novel targeted therapeutic agents due to their potent cytotoxic properties and ability to be engineered for specificity. The integration of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence in identifying actionable molecular targets, predicting resistance patterns, and designing personalized treatment strategies is also discussed.
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References
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