Is targeted therapy the same as chemotherapy?

No. Targeted therapy and chemotherapy work in different ways.

Most types of targeted therapy interfere with specific proteins that help tumors grow and spread. It targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread. This is different from chemotherapy, which often kills all cells that grow and divide quickly.

Because it focuses on specific targets, targeted therapy is the foundation of precision medicine. Often your tumor needs biomarker testing first to see if it has a target that a drug can act on.

That said, targeted therapy is not free of side effects. It can cause serious ones, and cancer cells can become resistant to it over time. For that reason, it is sometimes combined with chemotherapy, radiation, or other targeted drugs. Your care team can explain how the two treatments differ for your situation.