Is Blincyto (blinatumomab) chemotherapy?

Official Answer
by Drugs.comBlincyto (blinatumomab) is used to treat cancer but it is not chemotherapy.
Drugs that are used to treat cancer are called anticancer drugs.
- Anticancer drugs can be divided to different groups:
- targeted therapy
- chemotherapy (chemo)
- hormonal drug therapy
- Immunotherapy
Blincyto is a monoclonal antibody that is a targeted therapy anticancer drug.
How does Blincyto work?
- Antibodies are a normal part of our immune system.
- Our body makes antibodies to match an antigen (eg germ or protein) that enters the body.
- Antibodies attach to the antigen to mark it so that the immune system knows to destroy it.
- Blincyto is an antibody that has been made to attach to target antigen on the cancer cell.
- It works by directing the part of the immune system called the T-cells to target and bind with the protein (CD19) on the surface of B-cell leukemia or lymphoma cells.
What is Blincyto used for?
It is used for a specific type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults and children if other cancer treatments have been tried without success
References
- Blincyto: Accessed 24 February 2021. http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/blincyto.aspx
- Impact of blinatumomab on patient outcomes in relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia: evidence to date: Accessed 24 February 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173178/
- Blinctyo Professional Information: Accessed 24 February 2021. https://www.drugs.com/pro/blincyto.html
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