First-Line Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Not Candidates for Curative Surgery

Abstract Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Novel cytotoxic and biologic therapies have been developed; however, their optimal use in terms of patient selection, drug combinations, and regimen sequences must be better defined. The FDA-approved drugs include fluoropyrimidines (5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without leucovorin (LV), capecitabine), irinotecan, oxaliplatin, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab for RAS wild-type patients, the VEGF receptors 1 and 2 fusion protein aflibercept and the multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor regorafenib. As a result, metastatic colorectal cancer median overall survival can now be as long as 33 months and up to 70 % of patients will receive at least two lines of treatment. Recent scientific and technologic advances in the field of metastatic colorectal cancer promise to elucidate the biological underpinnings of this disease and its therapies for the goal of improving personalized treatments for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Source: Current Colorectal Cancer Reports - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research