Les thérapies ciblées du cancer du sein entre avantages et inconvénients

Abstract

The emergence of targeted therapies in the field of breast cancer treatment raises various questions among healthcare professionals and the general public, concerning both medical and scientific aspects as well as socio-economic ones. This synthesis is an attempt to address these concerns. In the first part of this thesis, we present an overview of current knowledge on breast cancer, focusing on the different aspects of this pathology, including its conventional medical management. In the second part, based on recent literature in the field, we outline the theoretical foundations of targeted therapies for breast cancer, with a focus on the key concept of biomarkers. A review of the drug molecules used in targeted therapy treatments completes this second part. The final part is devoted to a comparison of targeted therapies with conventional therapies, weighing their respective advantages and disadvantages. This comparison shows that despite the advantages offered by targeted therapies in terms of improved survival, particularly in cases of metastatic breast cancer, these therapies are not without drawbacks. These include resistance to treatment, certain adverse effects, and their still excessively high cost. The main research directions emerging from this work are: refining targeted therapies by reducing resistance and side effects, increasing the efficacy and tolerability of treatments, and significantly lowering their cost.