Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that focuses on specific molecules and pathways that contribute to cancer growth and survival. Unlike chemotherapy, which can affect both cancer and healthy cells, targeted therapy is designed to selectively target cancer cells, with fewer side effects.

There are several targeted therapy drugs that are used to treat leukemia, including:

• Imatinib (Gleevec): This drug is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some types of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It targets the abnormal protein produced by the Philadelphia chromosome, which is found in most cases of CML and some cases of ALL.
• Dasatinib (Sprycel): This drug is also used to treat CML and some types of ALL. It targets the same protein as imatinib, but is effective against some imatinib-resistant forms of leukemia.
• Nilotinib (Tasigna): This drug is another targeted therapy for CML that targets the abnormal protein produced by the Philadelphia chromosome.
• Venetoclax (Venclexta): This drug is used to treat some types of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It targets a protein called BCL-2, which helps cancer cells survive.
• Midostaurin (Rydapt): This drug is used to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has a specific genetic mutation called FLT3. It works by inhibiting the activity of the FLT3 protein, which helps leukemia cells grow and divide.

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a person’s immune system to help fight cancer. There are several immunotherapy drugs that are used to treat leukemia, including:

• Blinatumomab (Blincyto): This drug is used to treat a specific type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that has a genetic abnormality called Philadelphia chromosome-negative. It works by attaching to cancer cells and activating the immune system to destroy them.
• Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah): This is a type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy that is used to treat B-cell ALL that has not responded to other treatments. It involves modifying a patient’s own T cells in the laboratory so that they can better recognize and attack cancer cells.
• Nivolumab (Opdivo): This drug is used to treat some types of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), a rare and aggressive type of leukemia. It works by blocking a protein called PD-1, which cancer cells use to evade detection by the immune system.
• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda): This drug is also used to treat some types of ATL. Like nivolumab, it works by blocking PD-1 to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
• Alemtuzumab (Campath): This drug is used to treat some types of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It works by targeting a protein called CD52, which is found on both cancer cells and some healthy immune cells. By depleting these immune cells, the drug can help reduce the number of cancer cells in the body.

Targeted therapy drugs work by targeting specific molecules that are involved in the growth and survival of leukemia cells. These drugs can be given orally or through injection.