Targeted therapy for pharyngeal 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.

You may have targeted therapy to treat advanced or recurrent pharyngeal cancer. It may be given alone or with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Cetuximab (Erbitux) is the targeted therapy drug used to treat oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, but it isn’t used for nasopharyngeal cancer. Itʼs usually given into a vein in the arm (intravenously, or by IV) once a week.

Your healthcare team will consider your personal needs to plan the drugs, doses and schedules of targeted therapy. You may also receive other treatments.

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.

The 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.

Cetuximab may cause these side effects:

• fatigue
• skin problems, including rash, dryness and itching
• headaches
• fever
• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• constipation

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.