Which of the following describes monoclonal antibodies when used in therapy?

Monoclonal antibodies are specialized proteins that can bind to specific targets, known as antigens, often found on the surface of cells, including cancer cells. For therapeutic use, they are designed to recognize and attach to specific tumor markers—molecules that are uniquely expressed or overexpressed in certain types of cancer. This targeted binding allows the monoclonal antibodies to mark the cancer cells for destruction by the immune system or to deliver a therapeutic payload directly to the tumor.

Through this mechanism, monoclonal antibodies can directly affect the growth and spread of tumors, making their specificity for tumor markers a crucial factor in their therapeutic effectiveness. This precise targeting is what differentiates monoclonal antibodies from other treatments that may act more broadly and indiscriminately. In contrast, the other options do not accurately represent how monoclonal antibodies function in therapy.