HJNO Mar/Apr 2026

42 MAR / APR 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS ONCOLOGY DIAL GUE COLUMN ONCOLOGY FORMUCH of the last century, systemic can- cer treatments were largely limited to che- motherapy — drugs designed to target rapidly dividing cells. Most chemotherapy agents act by disrupting different phases of the cell cycle, limiting a cell’s ability to grow and di- vide. This approach emerged from early un- derstandings of cancer as a disease driven by uncontrolled cell proliferation. Chemotherapy remains an effective and essential treatment across many cancer types and disease settings. Because these agents act on fundamental cellular processes shared by both cancerous and normal tissues, their use can lead to well-recognized side effects. As advances in molecular biology and im- munology deepened our understanding of cancer, it became clear that cancer is not a single disease, but a diverse group of condi- tions driven by distinct genetic alterations and immune interactions. destruction by the immune system, block- ing growth signals essential to tumor sur- vival, or delivering toxic payloads directly to malignant cells. The central principle of this therapy is selectivity — targeting cancer cells while sparing most normal tissue — repre- senting a shift toward biologically informed precision. Antibody–Drug Conjugates: Targeted Delivery of Cytotoxic Therapy Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) com- bine the targeting capability of monoclonal antibodies with the cell-killing potency of chemotherapy. AnADC consists of three components: an antibody that recognizes a cancer-specific target, a highly potent drug, and a molecule that connects them. The antibody directs the conjugate to the cancer cell, where it is inter- nalized and the drug is released. This design The Evolving Landscape of CANCER THERAPY BEYOND CHEMOTHERAPY This growing insight sparked the begin- ning of a new era in oncology. Modern sys- temic therapies increasingly aim to guide the immune system, target specific molecular vulnerabilities, or engineer living cells as treatment. These approaches reflect a more detailed understanding of cancer biology and have expanded the therapeutic landscape, improving outcomes for many patients while complementing established treatments such as chemotherapy. Let’s take a look at some of them. Monoclonal Antibodies: Precision Targeting Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory- designed proteins engineered to recognize and bind to specific markers, or antigens, on the surface of cancer cells. Once bound, these antibodies can act in several ways: flagging cancer cells for