Esophageal carcinoma: Towards targeted therapies

ConclusionsPembrolizumab has recently been FDA-approved for PD-L1 positive, locally advanced or metastatic ESCC. Despite comprehensive molecular characterization, however, available targed therapies for ESCC are still lagging behind. Herein, we discuss current trends towards more targeted therapies in esophageal cancers, taking into consideration unique features of ESCCs and EACs. Patients progressing on standard therapies should be subjected to genomic profiling and considered for clinical trials aimed at testing targeted therapies. Future targeted therapies may include CDK4/6 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors and inhibitors  targeting the NRF2 and Wnt signaling pathways. Ultimately, optimized biomarker assays and next generation sequencing platforms may allow for the identification of subcategories of ESCC and EAC patients that will benefit from selective targeted therapies and/or combinations thereof.
Source: Cellular Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research