Targeted therapy

There are many new drugs being developed for children’s cancer that work differently from the way chemotherapy works. These are often called biological agents or targeted drugs. They work by blocking a specific gene or protein that cancer cells have.

Special tests on your child’s cancer cells in the laboratory may be done to see whether any of the new targeted drugs may work on your child. Often, as these drugs are new, they are used in clinical trials.

Imatinib (Glivec^®) is one such drug that’s mostly used to treat a particular form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and occasionally some other types of cancer. It works by blocking signals within cancer cells and preventing a series of chemical reactions that cause the cells to grow and divide. Your child’s doctor will advise if this type of treatment is suitable for your child.