Diccionary of
medical terms

A type of treatment directed at a specific molecular target. Targeted therapy, by theoretically acting specifically against tumor cells, may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatment.

A structure located in any part of the cell, such as the cell membrane, cytoplasm or nucleus, capable of recognizing a drug and producing a cellular response. Pharmacological receptors would form part of the therapeutic targets. In oncology, drugs directed against molecular targets have been obtained thanks to advances in the knowledge of molecular biology, in its genomic and proteomic variants. These new drugs are generally aimed at inhibiting the signal transmission mechanism of cancer cells, thus halting tumor growth and promoting the death of malignant cells.

Disease that does not respond to treatment. In some scenarios, such as ovarian cancer or SCLC, it refers to an early relapse after completion of treatment.