Skin cancer is a common type of cancer prevailing in different areas of the world. Nonmelanoma skin cancer implies a specific group of cancers, which develop at a slow rate in the skin’s upper layers of a patient.
The appearance of a lesion or lump and discolored skin patch is the first and the main symptom of nonmelanoma skin cancer. This continues to persist even after a period of a few weeks and progresses slowly over many months or years. When the lump continues, it converts into a tumor followed by cancer. In most of the cases, cancerous lumps are firm and red in color, while in rare cases, lumps convert into ulcers. Also, cancerous patches are scaly and flat. Nonmelanoma skin cancer often develops in skin areas, which exposed to the sunlight regularly. These include the face, hands, ears, shoulders, back and upper chest. (1)
How Do You Stop Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer From Spreading?
To Stop Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer From Spreading:
Targeted Therapy To Prevent Skin Cancer From Spreading To Other Parts
Doctors recommend targeted therapy treatment to prevent skin cancer cells to spread or grow to other parts of the body. However, targeted therapy associated with cancer treatment is somewhat different from chemotherapy even though it also uses drugs for the treatment. Accordingly, targeted therapy performs its functions by targeting the genes specific to cancer, proteins, and tissue environment, which contributes towards the growth of cancer and survival of the patient. These proteins and genes are present in cancer cells or in other cells, which trigger the growth of cancers, like for instance blood vessel cells. According to the Food and Drug Administration i.e. FDA of the United States, targeted therapies are useful to treat various types of cancer and scientists are regularly testing various drugs to identify new targets for cancer.
Growth Of Cancer Cells And Role Of Targeted Therapy Drugs To Prevent Them
We know that cells are responsible to make up each of the tissues in our body. There are different types of cells, like brain cells, blood cells, and skin cells, all of which perform specific functions. Skin cell cancer starts whenever certain changes take place in the genes of healthy cells, also known as a genetic mutation.
Genes are responsible to inform body cells about the procedure to make proteins so that cells continue their work. However, changes in the genes result in a change in the proteins. This leads to abnormal division of cells or cells, as living for a long time. Whenever this takes place, the cells become out of control to form tumors.
Here comes the role of targeted therapy, which not only identify the specific changes of genes in skin cell cancers (in this case) but also develop suitable drugs to target the respective changes. Accordingly, the drugs may-
- Turn off or block signals, which tell skin cancer cells to grow, spread and divide
- Prevent cells to live longer than normal life
- Destroy or break the cancer cells
Types Of Targeted Therapy To Treat Skin Cancer
Monoclonal Antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies drugs are responsible to block any target present at the outer area of cancer cells or the target present in any area across the skin cancer. These drugs perform their functions similar to a plastic cover placed within an electric socket. The plug prevents the flow of electricity out from the socket. Also, monoclonal antibodies send toxic substances to skin cancer cells directly. Doctors often give these drugs as intravenous injections.
Small Molecule Drugs: Small molecule drugs block all procedures, which help in the multiplication and spreading of the cancer cells. You have to take these drugs as pills. For instance, doctors prescribe angiogenesis inhibitors small-molecule drugs as part of targeted therapy. These drugs retain tissues across the formed tumor to make blood vessels. The logic behind this is that a tumor requires blood vessels for bringing the essential nutrients, which help it (tumor) to grow as well as spread. On the other side, anti-angiogenesis therapy starves the formed tumor by simply preventing the formation of new blood vessels. (2)
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