What are the side effects of targeted therapy?

Any drug used to treat a disease will also cause other damage to the body. Many drugs will clearly indicate the side effects of the drugs. Targeted therapy also has many side effects. Targeted therapy has a certain precise killing effect on cancer cells and causes relatively little damage to the body, but some people will also experience certain side effects. So, what are the side effects of targeted therapy?

Chemotherapy drugs have always been widely criticized for their side effects of "killing one thousand enemies but injuring eight hundred of your own", and after a course of treatment, most patients are left weak. Later, targeted drugs came into being, which can accurately guide cancer cells, thus greatly reducing damage to the body. It’s a pity that it’s hard to have the best of both worlds in life. Targeted drugs for different targets still have their specific side effects. Some patients are too calm when facing side effects and don't take them seriously; some patients are overly nervous and get frightened and at a loss when some common side effects occur; some patients regard side effects as a tiger and reduce the dosage to avoid side effects regardless of the severity of the disease, but overcorrection often results in even the positive effects being almost reduced to zero... In view of these situations, we have collected and compiled the side effects and treatment methods of the main targeted drugs (drugs already on the market), and hope that you can compare your own situation, view it correctly, and deal with it reasonably.

1. Rash: Mainly concentrated on the face, especially around the nose and chin; under the hair at the back of the head; then grows on the chest, abdomen and front of the thighs. It is bright red with white pus heads, bulges, shrivels up after a few days, and leaves dark marks for several days. It does not hurt or itch (sometimes it will itch slightly when heated), so it is easy to tolerate. It is best to ignore it and not scratch it. If you scratch or rub the pus head, you can apply Bactroban. Be gentle when washing your face, otherwise the rash will be scratched and your face will be covered with blood. Recently, I heard that the "Detoxification and Skin Regeneration Cream" produced by Hong Kong Ertiantang has miraculous effects on this type of rash, you can try it, but don't get it near your mouth or eyes. Do not take Chinese medicine internally according to TCM's treatment of damp-heat toxicity, as you will end up losing the big picture.

2. Nose bleeding: During the period of taking Iressa, the capillaries in the nasal cavity will rupture on their own, blood will seep out, and the blood will coagulate in the nostrils to form black-red dry blood clots, blocking the nasal cavity and affecting breathing; if there is sputum in the nasopharynx, iron-red or bright red blood or blood clots will be seen in the sputum exhaled; the sputum coughed up from the lung cavity will also bring out blood or even blood clots because it passes through the throat. Some people were alarmed by this, thinking that the disease was progressing and that the bleeding was caused by a ruptured tumor or alveolus. In fact, as long as you don't cough up blood one mouthful at a time, the phenomenon of blood in sputum is a normal manifestation of taking Iressa and you can ignore it.