Why Are More Cancer Drugs Becoming Oral Therapies? The Current Landscape of Oral Targeted Therapy in China

By:DengYue International Business Division

Over the past two decades, the global oncology treatment landscape has undergone a major transformation. Traditional cancer treatment was largely centered around hospital-based infusion therapy. Whether chemotherapy, early monoclonal antibodies, or some first-generation immunotherapies, patients often needed to travel repeatedly to hospitals and rely heavily on infusion centers throughout the treatment cycle. For many patients with advanced cancer, treatment meant not only the drugs themselves, but also prolonged hospitalization, frequent follow-up visits, infusion-related complications, infection risks, and significant disruption to daily life.

With the rapid development of precision medicine, many solid tumors have entered the era of molecular classification. Oncology treatment strategies have gradually shifted from broad cytotoxic approaches toward long-term precision control targeting specific molecular pathways. In this context, oral targeted therapies have become an increasingly important part of modern cancer treatment systems.

Today, many standard treatment regimens for lung cancer, breast cancer, chronic leukemia, ovarian cancer, and several gastrointestinal malignancies have already transitioned into oral therapy-based management. EGFR-TKIs, ALK inhibitors, BTK inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and HER2 small-molecule therapies are gradually replacing parts of traditional infusion-based treatment and becoming the foundation of long-term disease control.

This shift is not only changing the route of administration, but also reshaping the overall logic of long-term oncology management.

DengYue continues to follow the development of innovative cancer therapies in China and the evolving needs of international patients seeking cross-border treatment access. We help overseas patients better understand Chinese oral targeted therapies, innovative oncology drugs, and long-term treatment coordination pathways within China’s cancer care system.

From Infusion-Based Treatment to Long-Term Oral Management

For many patients, cancer treatment is no longer a short-term intensive intervention, but an extended process of long-term disease management.

In EGFR-mutated lung cancer, standardized targeted therapy has significantly extended survival outcomes. In HR+/HER2- breast cancer, the CDK4/6 inhibitor era has gradually transformed treatment into a chronic disease management model. As a result, the evaluation of oncology treatment is no longer focused solely on short-term response rates, but increasingly includes long-term adherence, toxicity management, quality of life, and sustained treatment capability.

One major reason oral therapies are rapidly expanding is that they fit naturally into long-term treatment settings.

Compared with infusion-based treatment, oral therapies reduce hospitalization frequency, improve treatment flexibility, lower risks associated with intravenous administration, and allow many patients to maintain a more stable work-life balance. For patients who require years of continuous therapy, treatment convenience itself has become an important component of modern oncology care.

At the same time, global oncology drug development is placing greater emphasis on long-term manageability. In the past, drug development primarily focused on rapid tumor shrinkage and objective response rates. Today, increasing attention is being paid to long-term tolerability, compatibility with combination therapies, chronic toxicity control, and sustained patient adherence.

Even when short-term efficacy differences are modest, therapies that can significantly prolong progression-free survival while maintaining long-term treatment continuity still carry major clinical value.

The Rapid Growth of Oral Targeted Therapies in China

For many years, the global targeted therapy market was dominated by large Western pharmaceutical companies, while China mainly relied on imported original drugs. Over the past decade, however, China’s innovative pharmaceutical industry has grown rapidly, especially in lung cancer, breast cancer, hematologic malignancies, and gastrointestinal oncology.

Chinese companies have now established substantial R&D capabilities across multiple core areas, including:

● EGFR inhibitors

● ALK / ROS1 / RET inhibitors

● HER2 small-molecule therapies

● BTK inhibitors

● CDK4/6 inhibitors

● KRAS inhibitors

● PARP inhibitors

Lung cancer is particularly representative of this trend.

China has one of the world’s largest lung cancer patient populations, generating extensive real-world clinical data, molecular profiling resources, and genomic datasets that have accelerated targeted therapy development. China has gradually become one of the most active markets globally for lung cancer drug innovation. From first-generation EGFR-TKIs to third-generation therapies and resistance-management strategies, Chinese oncology centers have accumulated significant clinical experience.

At the same time, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has continued optimizing its review and approval pathways for innovative drugs. In certain areas, new therapies are becoming available in China at increasingly faster speeds. Some innovative treatments are even entering real-world clinical practice relatively early.

As a result, China is gradually evolving from a market focused on importing international oncology drugs into an important participant in global oncology innovation.

Oral Therapies Are Changing Cross-Border Cancer Care

For international patients, China’s oncology system is becoming attractive not only because of cost advantages, but also because of access to innovative therapies and long-term treatment management capabilities.

The rise of oral targeted therapy is also changing the structure of cross-border medical care itself.

In the past, international patients often traveled abroad for short-term intensive treatment before returning home. With long-term oral therapies becoming standard, patients are now increasingly focused on issues such as long-term drug access, cross-border prescription continuity, remote follow-up care, resistance monitoring, and later-line treatment planning.

For example, patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer may remain on therapy for many years while transitioning between different generations of TKIs, undergoing resistance mutation testing, and adjusting combination treatment strategies. The entire treatment pathway becomes highly dynamic and requires strong long-term management systems.

Modern oncology care is therefore no longer simply about “using a specific drug.” Instead, it involves building a comprehensive long-term disease management system that includes:

● Molecular testing

● Regular imaging evaluation

● Adverse event monitoring

● MDT (multidisciplinary team) management

● Later-line treatment planning

● Long-term drug supply coordination

● Cross-border follow-up support

In recent years, many leading Chinese cancer centers have continued strengthening these capabilities. Increasing numbers of hospitals are building long-term follow-up systems, international patient service platforms, digital medical record systems, precision medicine infrastructure, and multidisciplinary treatment frameworks.

China Is Becoming an Important Participant in Global Long-Term Oncology Management

At the same time, Chinese biotech and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly entering the global market. More Chinese oral anti-cancer drugs are now participating in international multi-center clinical trials, pursuing FDA submissions, establishing overseas licensing partnerships, and expanding into global markets.

China’s role within the global precision oncology industry is steadily evolving.

From an industry perspective, the trend toward oral therapies reflects a broader transformation in oncology itself.

Cancer treatment is gradually shifting from short-term intensive intervention toward long-term chronic disease management. Future oncology development will increasingly focus on long-term survival, sustained treatment capability, side-effect management, patient adherence, and quality of life.

Supported by its large patient population, rapidly growing innovation ecosystem, active clinical research environment, and expanding precision medicine infrastructure, China is becoming an increasingly important player in the field of oral targeted therapy and long-term oncology management.

Conclusion

The rise of oral targeted therapies is redefining the global cancer treatment landscape.

For many patients, cancer is no longer treated as a short-term intervention, but as a condition requiring long-term precision management, continuous treatment adjustment, and multidisciplinary support.

DengYueMed will continue following the development of innovative cancer therapies, oral targeted treatment strategies, and the evolving needs of international patients seeking long-term cross-border oncology care. We aim to help overseas patients better understand China’s oncology resources, innovative drug accessibility, and long-term treatment coordination systems.

This article is intended for medical industry information exchange and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. All treatment decisions should be made under the guidance of qualified medical professionals.