Targeted therapy for cervical cancer

Targeted therapy uses drugs to target specific molecules (such as proteins) on cancer cells or inside them. These molecules help send signals that tell cells to grow or divide. By targeting these molecules, the drugs stop the growth and spread of cancer cells and limit harm to normal cells. Targeted therapy may also be called molecular targeted therapy.

Targeted therapy is sometimes used to treat cervical cancer. If you have targeted therapy, your healthcare team will use what they know about the cancer and about your health to plan the drugs, doses and schedules.

You may have targeted therapy to:

• treat locally advanced or metastatic cervical cancer
• treat cervical cancer that doesn’t respond to other treatments or comes back (recurs) after treatment
• relieve pain or control the symptoms of metastatic cervical cancer (called palliative therapy)

The most common targeted therapy drug used to treat cervical cancer is bevacizumab (Avastin).

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies have been designed in a lab to recognize and lock onto particular protein markers on the surface of some cancer cells. Bevacizumab targets the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF is one of the main proteins that help tumours build a blood supply, which they need to grow larger. Bevacizumab attaches to VEGF so the tumour can’t use it to build a blood supply and grow.

Bevacizumab can be used alone or with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or both. It can make chemotherapy work better by helping to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumour. Bevacizumab is given by a needle in a vein (intravenously).

Side effects of targeted therapy will depend mainly on the type of drug or combination of drugs, the dose, how itʼs given and your overall health. Tell your healthcare team if you have side effects that you think are from targeted therapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.

Bevacizumab may cause these side effects:

• flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, mild joint or muscle pain
• loss of appetite
• constipation
• diarrhea
• sore mouth
• high blood pressure
• fatigue
• skin problems
• bleeding
• blood clots

All drugs, including those used to treat cancer, are approved for use in Canada by Health Canada. If a drug is mentioned on cancer.ca, it means that Health Canada has approved the drug and pharmaceutical companies sell it in Canada. It does not mean that the drug is offered everywhere in Canada.

Paying for drugs is the responsibility of provincial and territorial health departments. Each health department makes its own decisions about which drugs to cover (pay for) in that province or territory. This means that a drug may be covered in one province, but not in others.

Your oncologist will talk to you about different drug treatments and what is available through your provincial or territorial drug program.

Find out more about targeted therapy. To make the decisions that are right for you, ask your healthcare team questions about targeted therapy.

Details on specific drugs change regularly. Find out more about sources of drug information and where to get details on specific drugs.