What type of agents enhance the effects of cancer-directed treatment but do not directly affect the cancer?

Ancillary drugs are specifically designed to enhance the effects of cancer-directed treatments without directly targeting the cancer cells themselves. These agents can support the primary treatment by reducing side effects, improving tolerance to the main therapy, or enhancing overall treatment efficacy.

For instance, ancillary drugs could include medications to manage nausea associated with chemotherapy, supportive growth factors to help boost the immune system or blood cell counts, or agents that mitigate the effects of pain or inflammation. Their primary role is to aid patients in better tolerating treatments or optimizing the effectiveness of the cancer therapies they are undergoing.

In contrast, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy primarily work by directly targeting the cancer cells using different mechanisms. Immunotherapy works by stimulating the body's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy involves the use of cytotoxic agents to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, while hormonal therapy targets hormone-sensitive tumors by blocking or modulating hormonal effects on cancer growth. Each of these approaches is central to the treatment of cancer, but they are not designed to simply enhance the effects of another treatment without affecting the tumor directly.