Guided missiles targeting tumor cells open a new route to combat cancer

"If more than half a century ago, science looked expectantly at the potential of chemotherapy to combat cancer; or 15 years ago, oncologists did the same with immunotherapy, which energized the immune system's own defenses to attack tumor cells; now the spotlight has turned to an innovative treatment that is reaping promising results: antibodydrug conjugates (ADCs), treatments that function like a Trojan horse, delivering chemotherapy to the interior of tumor cells to destroy them."

"At the event, there were study presentations that demonstrated ADCs' potential in several types of breast cancer and at various stages, not just metastatic. These Trojan horses are formed by an antibody that targets a kind of antenna on the surface of tumor cells. These molecules carry a hidden chemotherapy payload, and when they reach their target, they bind to those receptors and release the entire drug into the tumor cells to selectively kill them."

"In breast cancer, these precision missiles have shaken up the prognosis of the most aggressive tumors. They entered the therapeutic arsenal more than a decade ago, but new generations of these drugs are gaining more ground. Three years ago, for example, research demonstrated that one of the new ADCs, trastuzumab-deruxtecan, increased the survival rate of women with HER2+ tumors (this subgroup accounts for 20% of all breast cancers) in metastatic stages."

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are targeted agents that combine an antibody recognizing tumor-cell surface receptors with a linked chemotherapy payload that is released inside tumor cells. ADCs act like therapeutic Trojan horses, binding tumor antigens and delivering cytotoxic drugs selectively to malignant cells. Newer ADC generations are demonstrating efficacy across breast cancer subtypes, improving outcomes in aggressive and HER2-positive metastatic disease with agents such as trastuzumab-deruxtecan. Evidence also indicates activity in ovarian, endometrial, and pancreatic cancers. ADCs represent a validated and advancing precision-oncology approach that expands treatment options across stages and tumor types.

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