Which generation of targeted drugs does cabozantinib belong to? Differences from other targeted drugs

Cabozantinib (Cabozantinib) is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor and a targeted therapy drug. It mainly interferes with tumor growth, angiogenesis and changes in the tumor microenvironment by inhibiting a variety of tyrosine kinases, such as VEGFR, MET, and AXL. Cabozantinib does not belong to the category of "generation" targeted drugs in the traditional sense, but achieves therapeutic effects by acting on multiple targets, so it has a unique mechanism of action among targeted therapy drugs.

Cabozantinib inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells and tumor angiogenesis through a multi-target mechanism, and has a significant effect on renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, thyroid cancer, etc. Compared with other targeted drugs such as single-target inhibitors, cabozantinib has a broader scope of action and can effectively prevent tumor growth and spread by inhibiting the activity of multiple receptors such as VEGFR, MET, and AXL. In addition, cabozantinib also has a significant impact on the tumor microenvironment, helping to improve the efficacy and sustainability of treatment.

Compared with first-generation targeted drugs (such as imatinib), cabozantinib has more targets and has stronger multi-target inhibitory effect. The first generation of targeted drugs usually target a single target, while cabozantinib achieves a broader anti-tumor effect by acting on multiple targets (such as VEGFR, MET, AXL, etc.). The second and third generation targeted drugs are also gradually adopting multi-target mechanisms, such as cetuximab, bevacizumab, etc. However, the uniqueness of cabozantinib is that it simultaneously inhibits multiple targets that are closely related to tumor progression, allowing it to show strong therapeutic effects in different types of cancer.

The multi-target action of cabozantinib may make it better than single-target inhibitory drugs in the treatment of certain tumors. Taking renal cell carcinoma as an example, cabozantinib has a better inhibitory effect on tumor angiogenesis than many single-target drugs. By inhibiting tumor-associated angiogenesis, cabozantinib can effectively slow down tumor growth and metastasis. In addition, cabozantinib also shows certain advantages in fighting hepatocellular carcinoma and thyroid cancer.

Reference:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabozantinib