Targeted therapy drugs are a class of medications that are used to treat cancer by targeting specific molecules that are involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. In neuro-oncology, targeted therapy drugs are used to treat brain tumors, including gliomas, meningiomas, and neuroblastomas. Some common targeted therapy drugs used to treat brain tumors include:

• EGFR inhibitors: These drugs target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is found in some types of brain tumors. Examples of EGFR inhibitors used to treat brain tumors include erlotinib and gefitinib. They work by blocking the activity of EGFR, which helps slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.
• VEGF inhibitors: These drugs target a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which helps tumors grow new blood vessels to supply them with nutrients and oxygen. Examples of VEGF inhibitors used to treat brain tumors include bevacizumab and aflibercept. They work by blocking the activity of VEGF, which helps reduce the blood supply to tumors and slows their growth.
• BRAF inhibitors: These drugs target a specific genetic mutation (BRAF) that is found in some types of brain tumors, including melanoma brain metastases. Examples of BRAF inhibitors used to treat brain tumors include dabrafenib and vemurafenib. They work by blocking the activity of mutated BRAF, which helps slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.
• ALK inhibitors: These drugs target a genetic mutation called anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), which is found in some types of brain tumors, including anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Examples of ALK inhibitors used to treat brain tumors include crizotinib and ceritinib. They work by blocking the activity of mutated ALK, which helps slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.

Immunotherapy is an emerging treatment option for neuro-oncology that aims to boost the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Currently, there are several types of immunotherapy medicines that are being used in clinical trials to treat brain tumors. Some of the immunotherapy medicines that have shown promise in early studies include:

• Checkpoint inhibitors: These drugs block certain proteins on cancer cells, preventing them from evading the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors that are being tested in clinical trials for neuro-oncology include pembrolizumab and nivolumab.
• T-cell therapies: These treatments involve removing T-cells (a type of immune cell) from the patient’s blood and genetically modifying them to recognize and attack cancer cells. T-cell therapies that are being tested in clinical trials for neuro-oncology include CAR T-cell therapy.
• Vaccines: These treatments involve using a patient’s own tumor cells or specific proteins found on tumor cells to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Vaccines that are being tested in clinical trials for neuro-oncology include dendritic cell vaccines and peptide vaccines.
• Immune-modulating drugs: These treatments work by regulating the immune system, either by activating it or suppressing it. Immune-modulating drugs that are being tested in clinical trials for neuro-oncology include interferon alpha and interleukin-2.

These drugs are used to reduce inflammation and swelling in the brain caused by the tumor