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Targeted therapy and immunotherapy
Read about cancer treatment options listed by gene mutation, type of cancer and type of treatment.
and for cancer
Targeted therapies and immunotherapies are mainly used to treat advanced or recurrent cancer. approved drugs are listed below. Clinical trials using these agents may also be available for treatment of cancer.
Immunotherapies
Immunotherapies are cancer treatments that help the body’s immune system detect and attack cancer cells.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of most often used to treat advanced/metastatic cancer that have MSI-H or dMMR; usually after other treatments have been tried.
- Keytruda (pembrolizumab) may be used to treat patients with castration resistant cancer that is MSI-H or and have had one line of therapy affecting the whole body.
- Cancer treatment vaccines are a type of that uses a patient’s own cancer cells to boost their immune system.
- Provenge (sipuleucel-T) may be used to treat patients with prostate cancer whose disease has progressed aftger hormonal treatment who have either no or very minimal symptoms related to the cancer.
- Provenge (sipuleucel-T) may be used to treat patients with prostate cancer whose disease has progressed aftger hormonal treatment who have either no or very minimal symptoms related to the cancer.
Targeted therapies
Targeted therapies are drugs that are designed to attack specific changes found in cancer cells. Several different targeted therapies are used to treat cancer.
PARP inhibitors
PARP inhibitors are targeted therapies that were developed for, and work best in people with a or mutation. The following PARP inhibitors are used to treat mCRPC.
- The Talzenna () may be used as a treatment for mCRPC in people who have an found through genetic testing or tumor mutation found through tumor testing in , , , ATR, CDK12, , FANCA, , MRE11A, , , or .
- The , Lynparza () may be used in combination with Zytiga and prednisone or prednisolone for the or later treatment of mCRPC in patients with an inherited or mutation (found through genetic testing) or tumor or mutation (found through tumor testing or ).
- The , Lynparza may be used to treat mCRPC after the cancer has progressed on the drugs Xtandi () or Zytiga () in people with an inherited mutation in , (found through genetic testing) or a tumor mutation in , , , , , CDK12, CHEK1, , FANCL, , RAD51B, , , RAD54L (found through tumor testing).
- The , () may be used to treat mCRPC, in people who have an in or (found through genetic testing) or a tumor mutation in or (found through tumor testing or ).
- Akeega is a new drug that combines the , () with the hormone therapy, Zytiga. Akeega is used with prednisone to treat mCRPC in people who have an or a tumor mutation in or (found through tumor testing or ).
Other targeted therapies
- Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) is used to treat mCRPC for men previously treated with with hormone therapy with an androgen receptor inhibitor and taxane-based chemotherapy.
Table of targeted and immunotherapies for cancer
| Name of drug | Cancer | Indication | or genetic test | Type of agent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akeega ( and acetate) |
castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) | In combination with prednisone for or later treatment of mCRPC | Inherited or tumor mutation in or based on FoundationOne tumor test | combined with a hormonal therapy |
| Lynparza () |
castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) | Combined with Zytiga and prednisone or prednisolone for or later treatment of mCRPC | in or found through genetic testing or tumor or mutation found through tumor testing or . | |
| For treatment of mCRPC which has progressed following treatment with Xtandi () or Zytiga () | in or or tumor mutation one of the following genes: , , , , , CDK12, , FANCL, , RAD51B, , , RAD54 |
|||
() |
castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) | For treatment of mCRPC which has been treated with androgen receptor-directed therapy and a taxane-based chemotherapy | Inherited or acquired (tumor) mutation in or | |
| () |
castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) | In combination with for mCRPC which has not yet been treated in the castration-resistant setting | Inherited or tumor mutation in one of the following genes: , , , ATR, CDK12, , FANCA, , MRE11A, , , or | |
| Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) | castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) | For treatment of mCRPC which has stopped responding or got worse after treatment with hormonal therapy using an androgen receptor inhibitor and taxane-based chemotherapy | Imaging with a that looks for cancers with the marker PSMA | Targeted radiation therapy |
| Provenge (sipuleucel-T) | castration resistant cancer (mCRPC) | For the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic castrate resistant cancer | No needed | Cancer vaccine |
| Keytruda (pembrolizumab) | or unresectable | For treatment of that have progressed after treatment and for which there are no other treatment options | MSI-H ( High) or () | Immune checkpoint inhibitor |
| Keytruda (pembrolizumab) | or unresectable |
For the treatment of that have progressed following prior treatment and for which there are no satisfactory alternative treatment options |
High (TMB-H) | Immune checkpoint inhibitor |
| Vitrakvi (larotrectinib) | solid tumors | For treatment in solid tumors where surgical resection is likely to result in severe , and for which there are no satisfactory alternative treatments or the cancer progressed following treatment | NTRK fusion | Kinase inhibitor |
Last updated August 17, 2023
Related Resources
The following resources focus on cancer.
- FORCE cancer resources:
- Information: cancer treatment
- XRAY reviews: cancer
- Video: What's New in Cancer Treatment?
- Video: Sexuality and Intimacy Issues for Men
- Video play list: cancer
- Blog category: cancer
- Malecare has extensive resources for people with cancer.
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network free patient guides:
updated: 08/06/2022
Paying For Care
Paying for cancer treatment
The majority of public and private health insurance plans are required to cover cancer diagnosis and treatment; copays, coinsurance and deductibles often apply. Patient costs and coverage for specific doctors, facilities or treatments may vary based on your health plan. Visit our section on Insurance and Paying for Care: Treatment for more information, links to sample appeal letters and other resources.
If you need information about finding an insurance plan, watch our video: Choosing Wisely: How to Pick Insurance Plans.
Some pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs that help cover the cost for their medications:
- Astellas Patient Assistance Program
- AstraZeneca Access 360
- Bayer US Patient Assistance Foundation
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Patient Assistance Foundation
- Eisai Patient Assistance Program
- Genentech Access Solutions
- GSK for You
- Janssen Patient Access Program
- LIlly Cares
- Merck Helps
- Pfizer Oncology Together
- Novartis Patient Assistance
- Sanofi Patient Connection
- Seattle Genetics' SeaGen Secure
- Taiho's Patient Support Program
- Takeda's Help at Hand
- Trodelvy Access Services
Organizations that offer co-pay assistance:
- Cancercare
- Patient Advocate Foundation
- Colorectal Cancer Alliance offers financial support to people in treatment for colorectal cancer.
Other resources:
- The American Cancer Society provides information and resources on covering the cost of cancer care. Public assistance, such as Medicaid may be available if you are ineligible for other programs.
- Needy Meds: Assistance programs to help patients with cost of medications and other healthcare.
- Triage Cancer offers tools and resources to help individuals cope with the financial aspects of a cancer diagnosis.
updated: 02/10/2023
Open Clinical Trials
The following studies are looking at PARP inhibitors and similar agents for treating people with advanced cancer.
- NCT04592237: Chemotherapy, and for the Treatment of Aggressive Variant Cancer. This study will look at how well the combination of chemotherapy drugs (such as cabazitaxel and carboplatin), a PARP inhibitors (), and an agents (cetrelimab) works for treating people with a rare type of cancer known as aggressive variant cancer (AVPC).
- NCT05005728: XmAb®20717 Alone or in Combination With Chemotherapy or in Patients With Castration-Resistant Cancer. This study will look at the safety and clinical activity of the drug XmAb20717 alone or in combination with standard-of-care anticancer therapies in patients with castration-resistant cancer who have been treated with at least 2 prior lines of treatment.
- NCT03317392: Studying the Medication Given with Radium-223 for Advanced Cancer with Bone . This study is measuring the best dosage for and side effects of the drug combination and radium-223 to treat men with mCRPC that has spread to the bones.
- NCT04497844: Treatment for Castration-Sensitive Cancer and Inherited or Tumor Mutations in Damage Repair Genes (Amplitude). The goal of AMPLITUDE is to see if adding to standard of care hormone therapy (ADT) is safe and more effective than standard of care alone. The study is enrolling people who have castration-sensitive cancer and have an inherited or tumor mutation in one of the following genes involved in damage repair: , , , , FANCA,PALB2, RAD51B and RAD54L.
Other clinical trials for people with cancer can be found here.
updated: 09/11/2023