Is Lenvatinib an Immunotherapy or Chemotherapy drug?

No, Lenvatinib is a targeted therapy drug, neither immunotherapy nor chemotherapy. Lenvatinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor (inhibiting VEGFR1-3, FGFR1-4, RET, KIT, and PDGFR) that can inhibit tumour growth and angiogenesis. It is approved for the treatment of certain forms of thyroid cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, and endometrial cancer.

What is the difference between targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy?

Targeted therapies are treatments that interact with their specific targets and generally do not interact with all cells (although they may affect other cells and cause side effects).

Targeted drugs block tumor cell growth (cytostatic), while standard chemotherapy drugs typically kill tumor cells directly (cytotoxic). Furthermore, targeted drug therapies can be used alone or in combination with other cancer treatments. For example, lenvatinib is used in combination with the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to treat endometrial cancer; and lenvatinib is used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (LI) to treat patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) that is resistant to chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is a treatment that directly targets cancer cells, but it can also affect other normal cells (such as hair follicles) and cause serious side effects, making it more harmful to the body.

Chemotherapy can be used with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation, or immunotherapy, to complete a comprehensive treatment plan. Examples of traditional chemotherapy drugs include doxorubicin (doxorubicin) or paclitaxel.

Immunotherapy drugs, on the other hand, work by boosting the immune system. They don't directly attack cancer cells. Instead, they stimulate the patient's own immune system to recognize cancer cells as foreign and attack them.

However, immunotherapy can also target normal cells in your body, which means side effects may occur. Immunotherapy can be used alone or in combination with other types of cancer treatment. Common immunotherapy drugs include: Atezolizumab (Tecentriq), Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Durvalumab (Imfinzi).

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