Is Ninlaro a type of chemotherapy?
No, Ninlaro isn’t a type of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy works by killing cells in your body that are multiplying (making more cells) rapidly. This includes some healthy cells, as well as cancer cells. Because chemotherapy affects some of your healthy cells, it can have very serious side effects.
Ninlaro is a targeted therapy for multiple myeloma. Targeted therapies work on specific features in cancer cells that are different from those in healthy cells. Ninlaro targets certain proteins called proteasomes.
Proteasomes are involved in the normal growth and production of cells. These proteins are more active in cancer cells than in healthy cells. This means that when Ninlaro targets proteasomes, it affects myeloma cells more than it affects healthy cells.
Ninlaro can still affect healthy cells and can cause some serious side effects. However, in general, targeted therapies (such as Ninlaro) tend to cause fewer side effects than typical chemotherapy drugs.