what’s causing the abnormality in your cells. Your doctor will determine which one to recommend based on the results of the biomarker testing.
What To Expect
The drugs used in targeted therapy can be administered in different ways. For those that are given via injection, you may experience some redness or swelling at the site. It’s also common to have side effects from taking your medication. Some are expected across the board such as nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or constipation. Other side effects are specific to certain medications. For example, angiogenesis inhibitors can cause fatigue, high blood pressure, headaches, and mouth sores. RET inhibitors, on the other hand, can cause dry mouth, swelling in the extremities, joint pain, skin rashes, and high blood sugar levels.
Regardless of which side effects you experience, it’s best to talk to your doctor about the best ways to handle them. Since there are usually several drugs in each category, it may be possible to switch to one with fewer or less significant side effects. It’s also important to talk to your doctor if you think you might be pregnant or plan to try. Research shows that some of the drugs used in targeted therapy can be harmful to a fetus. While it’s best to avoid getting pregnant during targeted therapy, you should let your doctor know if you think it’s happened.
Studies show that targeted therapy can be an effective form of treatment for lung cancer once you qualify for it. Like all forms of treatment, however, it can have certain side effects so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about what to do about them.