Targeted Therapy for Uterine Sarcomas
Targeted therapy is treatment with drugs that are made to target changes in the cancer cells. Some people group them with chemotherapy, but they aren't the same. Targeted therapies leave most healthy cells alone. They often cause fewer and different side effects than chemo. They are very new in the treatment of certain types of uterine sarcoma.
Pazopanib (Votrient) is a targeted therapy that may be used to treat leiomyosarcoma that has spread or come back after treatment.
Side effects include things like high blood pressure, headache, and skin changes.
Targeted therapy is used to treat many types of cancer, but it's still new in the treatment of uterine sarcoma. As doctors learn more about these cancer cells it could become an important part of treatment.
More information about targeted therapy
To learn more about how targeted drugs are used to treat cancer, see Targeted Cancer Therapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
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National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Uterine Neoplasms. Version 1.2018 -- October 13, 2017.
Yen MS, Chen JR, Wang PH, et al. Uterine sarcoma part III-Targeted therapy: The Taiwan Association of Gynecology (TAG) systematic review. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;55(5):625-634.
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Last Revised: May 14, 2019
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