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Dr. Chap explains how target therapy is utilized to treat patients who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Dr. Chap:
Well, it’s, as far as targeted therapy breast cancer is one where we have multiple targeted therapies, and what I mean by in talking about that that these are treatments that specifically targets or hones in on an abnormality that’s unique to the cancer cell.
Now, many people, even physicians, feel that this is something very unique to say the last five, ten years in breast cancer, but we have had targeted therapies, for example, the hormonal therapies that we use for breast cancer such as Tamoxifen that dates back to the 1970s.
So this isn’t an entirely new concept in breast cancer, but more recently over the last decade there really has been a take-off in terms of targeted therapies for breast cancer. For example, a drug that’s called Herceptin or trastuzumab, this is what’s called an antibody, which is a protein that actually hones into a particular target called the HER-2/neu protein in breast cancer, of which approximately 20% of women have. So that really has altered the biology of that particular subset of patients, and within that subset of patients, there really is a whole vast array of what can be used to target that abnormality of things that have become available.
About Dr. Linnea Chap, M.D.:
Linnea Chap, M.D., is a medical oncologist with an interest in breast cancer treatment. She has been published multiple times and has led several breast and ovarian cancer treatment protocols, including the pioneering use of novel biologic agents such as Herceptin and Avastin. In 2001, Dr. Chap was named, one of “America’s Top Breast Cancer Doctors” by Redbook. Annually, she has also been listed as one of “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer,” published by Michael Connelly. Recognized for her teaching and speaking skills, Dr. Chap has a national reputation where she is frequently called on to speak on the most recent advances in breast cancer treatment.
Visit Dr. Chap at Saint John's Health Center