Crizotinib/Xalkori are several generations of drugs

Targeted drugs work differently than standard chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy drugs sometimes work when they don't work, and they often have different side effects. Currently, targeted drugs are most commonly used in advanced lung cancer, either along with chemotherapy or alone. Crizotinib/Crizotinib is the first ALK and ROS1 rearrangement inhibitor approved for ALK-rearranged advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and is a first-generation targeted drug. First-generation targeted drugs are the first drugs developed and approved to treat specific types of cancer.

ALK and ROS1 rearrangements are common genetic abnormalities in lung cancer, and these abnormalities lead to the promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. Crizotinib/Xalkori blocks the proliferation and viability of tumor cells by inhibiting the protease activity of ALK and ROS1 gene mutations. This kind of treatment method that targets specific genetic mutations of tumors can accurately act on cancer cells, reduce damage to normal cells, and improve the therapeutic effect.

Compared with traditional chemotherapy drugs, targeted drugs have better efficacy and fewer adverse reactions. Chemotherapy drugs often inhibit tumor growth by rapidly stimulating cells but can also damage normal cells. Targeted drugs mainly inhibit the proliferation and viability of cancer cells by interfering with specific molecular signaling pathways in tumor cells, and have less toxic side effects on normal cells.

However, targeted drugs also have some potential problems. First, due to the heterogeneity of tumor cells, some tumor cells may become resistant to targeted drugs. Secondly, targeted drugs can only treat specific types of cancer and have narrow indications. Therefore, before using targeted drug therapy, patients need to undergo genetic testing to determine whether there are genetic variants associated with the drug.