--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Targeted therapies can improve outcomes for people living with cancer. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Targeted therapies can improve outcomes for people living with cancer. What comes to mind when you hear the word cancer? It may be surprising to learn there are many different definitions. That’s because cancer is not a single disease, but rather hundreds of different conditions with varying characteristics and treatment outcomes. For a long time, cancer was treated as a one-size-fits-all illness. Over the past couple of decades, however, there’s been a growing understanding that therapies can and should be targeted to the precise needs of individual patients. The concept of precision medicine is not new, but the paradigm is becoming more refined. No one knows this better than Pfizer’s scientists, who have been leaders in the field of precision medicine for more than two decades. “With precision medicine, we are better able to provide patients with treatments based on the genomic makeup of their tumor cells, thereby maximizing the treatment’s effectiveness while minimizing the exposure of patients to treatments that are less likely to be effective,” says Jeff Settleman, Chief Scientific Officer, Pfizer Oncology Research & Development. This approach takes into account the diverse genomic variations that can exist within different types of cancers, and even between patients who have the same type of cancer. ## Personalized Treatments Transform Cancer Therapies Pfizer’s patient-centered approach means that certain people living with cancer can have their treatment more tailored to their specific cancer, most notably with targeted therapeutics matching their particular tumor to a specific drug or treatment regimen. In fact, some of Pfizer’s breakthrough targeted therapies have become new standards of care for several cancers, according to Settleman. “They include the first cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, which revolutionized the management of hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer, and the first precision medicine in lung cancer targeting the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene,” he says. Other targeted therapies that have been developed by Pfizer’s research and development team include a PARP inhibitor, anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy, and a BCMA-directed bispecific antibody that engages T cells to attack cancer cells in patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cell cancer. Pfizer’s pioneering focus on matching disease biomarkers with specific treatment modalities means a much more targeted course of therapy for each patient. The recognition that no single treatment is necessarily best for all patients has allowed Pfizer scientists to think outside the box in developing more tailored therapies for a range of cancers, including various types of breast, genitourinary and blood cancers. Sometimes the best course of action for a person living with cancer doesn’t involve a single therapy; rather, it requires a combination of treatments. “Simply put, combination therapies are multiple treatments that are co-administered to patients because they have the potential to work together to enhance their effectiveness against cancer cell growth,” Settleman says. These combinations can have an impact, for instance, on a tumor that is driven by more than one oncogenic pathway. Not only is there a clinical benefit to the patient from the combination therapy, there’s also a reduced chance of cancer cells developing resistance to any one medication. Combination therapies are not necessarily comprised of two or more types of the same treatment. Pfizer’s diverse pipeline encompasses game-changing mechanisms of action, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), small molecules, bispecifics and other immunotherapies. “In the future, we intend to advance a new generation of treatment regimens that combine multiple scientific modalities to attack cancers from all angles,” Settleman says. “ > Simply put, combination therapies are multiple treatments that are co-administered to patients because they have the potential to work together to enhance their effectiveness against cancer cell growth.” Jeff Settleman—Pfizer’s chief scientific officer  ## ## Advancements in Oncology Research & Development The arc of precision medicine development has allowed researchers to gain a fuller understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying cancer and to zero in on critical mutations and biomarkers. At the same time, advances in immunology and immunotherapies have expanded the understanding of how the immune system fights cancer. Together, these discoveries have allowed Pfizer to develop new breakthroughs and continue to overcome persistent challenges in cancer care. An exciting area of growth for Pfizer oncology, including its efforts in precision medicine, is the application of artificial intelligence. The company is exploring ways to use AI and machine learning in its research and development efforts in order to maximize clinical trial data and bring therapies to the market faster, as well as to discern exactly which genetic alterations in each cancer are responsible for its growth. By leveraging AI and advanced analytics, Pfizer scientists may be able to unlock the mutations that power each cancer with an eye toward creating therapies that target them. AI also is being applied in Pfizer’s drug discovery and development efforts, according to Settleman: “We are using AI to accurately predict how a drug may interact with its molecular target, where it will go in the body, and how it may perform in the broader context of a disease.”  ## Making the Greatest Impact Possible Looking to the future, Settleman is particularly optimistic about two of the products in Pfizer Oncology’s pipeline. One is the company’s investigational CDK4-selective inhibitor, a next-generation version of their CDK 4/6 inhibitor, which is aimed at helping breast cancer patients who have tumors that express hormone receptors. “I’m also excited by our small molecule inhibitor of EZH2, an epigenetic regulatory protein, which is being tested in combination with enzalutamide in patients with metastatic prostate cancer,” he says. As the scientific community’s understanding of cancer’s nuances and variables broadens, Settleman is optimistic that Pfizer’s precision medicine efforts will continue to evolve, particularly when it comes to tackling some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers. “This is what excites me most – understanding cancer from all angles and delivering treatments that meet the needs of as many cancer patients as possible,” he says. “We are working toward a future where biomarker testing is more prevalent and every person living with cancer has access to the treatment options that are right for their specific type of cancer.” [](http://pfizer.com/) Breakthroughs that Change Patients’ Lives [Find Out More](http://pfizer.com/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/"},"headline":"Targeted therapies can improve outcomes for people living with cancer.","datePublished":"2026-07-20T09:47:18.606Z","dateModified":"2026-07-20T09:47:13.237Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/","name":"Targeted therapies can improve outcomes for people living with cancer."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"8551d3fb-39f8-4961-865d-ea170ee3e6fa","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mXj6IFX8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-05-20T10:30:37.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mXj6IFX8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/","duration":"PT27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/branded-content/pfizer/how-precision-medicine-is-transforming-cancer-treatment/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```