Molecularly Targeted Therapy for Pediatric Cancer
One of DCG Giving’s main objectives is to fund research and clinical trials on promising new forms of treatment for childhood cancers. And among the most important pediatric cancer research being undertaken today is on molecularly targeted therapy. This form of cancer treatment represents the most modern drug-based form of therapy, and many exciting breakthroughs are still being made in this area. Some targeted therapies may one day quickly deliver cures to children and teens with cancer with minimal side effects, allowing them to get healthy and back to their normal lives faster and easier.
Read further to learn more about how DCG Giving is helping fund the latest research in molecularly targeted therapy for childhood cancer, and donate today – your contribution will have an immediate impact for local kids and their families.
What is Molecularly Targeted Therapy?
Molecularly targeted therapy uses a wide range of advanced cancer drugs that share a specific method of action. These pharmaceuticals all have chemical interactions with certain types of molecules that cancer cells use to divide and grow. By binding to these molecules, changing them into different compounds, and other chemical functions, molecularly targeted therapy drugs can stop the advance of cancerous tissue in its tracks, working to shrink tumors and prevent both metastasis and recurrence.
The Benefits of Molecularly Targeted Therapy in Pediatric Cancer
There are many advantages that molecularly targeted therapy has over previous-generation cancer therapies like hormone-based drugs and chemotherapy, which are especially relevant for young patients. Molecularly targeted therapy is just that – targeted – and seeks out only cancerous biochemical material while leaving needed, healthy cells and tissue intact. This means in general, targeted therapies have far fewer side effects than chemotherapy, which tends to indiscriminately destroy rapidly-dividing cells. Molecularly targeted therapy research also holds the possibility of individualized, highly-effective treatments for even the rarest and most severe childhood cancers.
The Future of Molecularly Targeted Therapy for Children with Cancer
DCG Giving’s partner organizations in the Children’s Oncology Group are presently conducting clinical trials for new forms of molecularly targeted therapy that may one day save young people’s lives, all over the country. One of the types of treatment on the leading edge of molecularly targeted therapy is monoclonal antibody therapy, which are cloned white blood cells that can be “trained” to bind to a specific antigen. Monoclonal antibodies may be able to hunt and break down the abnormal cells produced by specific cancers with incredible accuracy without damaging the normal tissue in that bodily area.
Donate Today – Help Us Advance the Field of Molecularly Targeted Therapy
Thanks to our supporters like you, DCG Giving is able to work with COG member institutions in cities and towns all across the US, offering the kind of financial and structural help that is critical in developing effective treatments such as molecularly targeted therapy. Make a contribution now and you can be assured that 100% of what you give will be directly put to use finding new pediatric cancer therapies, helping kids and their families thrive, and delivering cures.