Introduction: In our daily life, about 7 people are diagnosed with cancer every minute on average, and the families represented by these people will also fall into pain and darkness at the moment of learning the news. In fact, Cancer is not far from everyone.

Nowadays, it can be said that it is an era of cancer discoloration. In 2006, the World Health Organization put forward the slogan “cancer is a chronic disease”.

And as we all know, cancer is the leading cause of cancer around the world today. A medical problem that cannot be overcome, what if a person unfortunately develops cancer?

Since the side effects of cancer chemotherapy are relatively large, so in medicine to help solve this problem, has also been Continue to explore the treatment plan.

OneIt wasn’t until the 1970s that oncogenes were discovered by scientists. Specific drugs, such drugs are targeted drugs.

What is a targeted drug?

Aiming at the disadvantages of indiscriminately killing cancer cells and normal cells by chemotherapy, the birth of targeted drugs undoubtedly points out a new direction for cancer treatment.

Targeted drugs or their carriers can target one target at the tumor lesion siteor multiple targets, and specifically kill these tumor cells .

Under normal circumstances, after a specific lesion is hit by a targeted drug, the concentration released can inhibit the growth of cancer, kill cancer cells, and Effectively reduce damage to body cells and normal tissues.

Targeted therapy for tumors is arguably the most the greatest advance in the oncology community in recent decades,but many People have raised a lot of doubts about targeted drugs.

Why are targeted drugs so expensive?

◆High cost

In fact, the research and development cost of new drugs is relatively high, and the update and iteration of drugs It has also gathered a lot of hard work of researchers.

The research and development of a drug before it enters the clinic takes years or decades. People who use experimental drugs will consume a lot of time.

What’s more, there are follow-up, phase 2 trial, phase 3 trial and the slow road of CFDA review?

These roads require huge financial support, so pharmaceutical companies also The costs associated with R&D need to be recovered, which is why targeted drugs are so expensive.

◇Patent protection fee

Another problem that makes targeted drugs expensive, That is the initial stage of new drugs with patent protection fees.Generally, there will be a dedicated protection period. During this period, the drug company has enough time to recover the cost.So in the When a new drug is just launched, the price of the drug is generally very expensive.

Is the targeted drug a life-saving drug, or a scam?

Nowadays, many people think that targeted drugs are a scam, precisely because targeted drugs are expensive, and limited Sex is relatively strong, so many people think so.Actually, targeted drugs have two significant limitations, Let people have such misunderstandings:

targets are needed

The premise of using targeted drugs is that there must be clear therapeutic targets in the patient’s body, and there are already Target-specific drugs can be used for targeted drug-related treatment.

For example, in our country, about 60% of non-hereditary cancer patients can find targeted drugs, and less than 20% of lung squamous cell carcinoma patients can find targeted drugs.

resistance will occur

< span>The evolution rate of cancer patients is relatively fast, and new functions or genes are likely to appear in the process of treatment to avoid the “attack” of targeted drugs..

As a result, the body will easily develop drug resistance, leading to increased cancer recurrence ratesand increased patient deaths Risk.

Because of the above two limitations of targeted drugs, the requirements for drug use are particularly harsh to avoid unscientific and unreasonable drug use. Bring some additional effects or effects to the patient.

Targeted drugs are not suitable for all cancer patients, so everyone should be right about this Don’t use it all in general before accepting targeted drug treatment, but also need a comprehensive and reasonable test.If it’s not suitable, don’t use it blindly, which will not only waste money but also easily affect illness.

There are 3 precautions for targeted drugs, which patients must be aware of

Do not make up or increase the dose at will

Some patients may easily forget to take the medicine. If this happens, first of all, you need to check how much it is before the next dose. For a long time, If there are still 12 hours or more, you need to take a supplementary service as soon as possible.

If it is less than 12 hours before the next dose, there is no need to refuse, andthere is no need for the next dose Increase the dose.

Because targeted drugs have their own intestinal effects, occasionally missing one or two doses has little effect.But try not to forget to take them. It is best to set an alarm clock to remind yourself.

Avoid eating with the following foods while taking this medicine

< span>Many targeted drugs needmetabolized by CYP3A4 enzyme, and some fruits, such as grapefruit and pomegranate, contain some components, which can easily inhibit the activity of CYP3A4 enzyme.

As a result, the utilization and absorption of targeted drugs will be affected, and the efficacy of the drugs will be reduced. the fruits mentioned.

It’s not that the more you eat, the better.

The number of targeted drugs to takeamount It is not possible to determine that the anti-cancer effects of targeted drugs are different, and the dosage and frequency of taking targeted drugs are different, so you must follow the doctor’s advice during taking, thousands Never eat as much as you want.

Do you still need to spend money on targeted drugs for advanced cancer?

In fact, the biggest influencing factor on this issue is the economic condition of the patient’s home, if the economic condition is very good and can afford it, then naturally it is OK;

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However, some families have poor income conditions, such as the cost of medicine is a heavy burden, in fact, it should be considered comprehensively, according to the patient’s tumor malignant degree, physical condition,

span>Age and all aspects, and then decide whether to let it go.

Anti-cancer drugs, why are some of them difficult to be covered by medical insurance?

Medical insurance should be the abbreviation of the most basic medical insurance. These two words basically mean that it is not a high-end medical treatment, just like your business travel unit reimbursement train Won’t reimburse you for the plane is the same.

So the drugs included in the medical insurance are generally some common drugs, such as common hypoglycemic drugs, antihypertensive drugs , cardiovascular and cerebrovascular drugs, etc., some more expensive and high-end drugs are generally relatively rare, and the fundamental reason is the issue of money.

Conclusion: Numerous public literatures and clinical cases have proved that targeted drug therapy is not a medical scam. Its appearance greatly prolongs the life of advanced patients, although targeted drugs It cannot overcome all cancer difficulties, but its appearance has created many people to believe that targeted drugs may be stronger one day in the future.