There are differences between targeted therapy and chemotherapy in terms of therapeutic principle, therapeutic effect and cost.
1. Different therapeutic principles: Targeted therapy plays a role in targeting the molecular biological characteristics of tumor cells, which is highly targeted and can make tumor cells die specifically. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, applies chemical drugs to tumor cells that proliferate faster, and destroys the DNA structure and function of tumor cells to inhibit their growth, replication, division and other processes, so as to make the tumor cells lose the ability to grow.
2. Different therapeutic effects: targeted therapy only works on tumor cells containing target markers, and does less harm to normal cells in general; whereas chemotherapeutic drugs attack indiscriminately, which will lead to more obvious and serious side effects as ordinary tissues and organs are also attacked by chemotherapeutic drugs.
3. Different costs: As targeted therapy is a relatively new treatment method, the drugs used are more expensive, compared with chemotherapy, the price difference is very significant. For patients with average family financial conditions, they may not be able to bear the financial burden of targeted therapy, while chemotherapy is relatively cheap and generally affordable.
Whether it is targeted therapy or chemotherapy, it needs to be selected and implemented by a doctor, and individuals should not use chemotherapy or targeted drugs without authorization.