Current Updates on HER2 –Directed Therapies in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

AbstractPurpose of ReviewColorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy in the USA with 20% of patients presenting with metastatic disease. While first line agents include cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, targeted therapies have an increasing role in the management of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has expanded the ability to identify HER2 variations and is crucial to the next steps in personalized medicine.Recent FindingsAnti-HER2 therapies provide a promising treatment option for patients who have exhausted traditional  regimens including those who have failed prior anti-HER2 therapy. This is in accordance with the 2021 addition of trastuzumab-deruxtecan to the National Comprehensive Cancer Center Guidelines as a subsequent therapy in eligible patients based on the results of the DESTINY-CRC01 trial.SummaryVarious anti-HER2 therapies are approved alone or in combination for patients with mCRC and HER2 –amplified tumors. Further investigation into the role of HER2–directed therapy in mutated mCRC is an unmet need, as is the wider use of NGS and ctDNA to explore mechanisms of resistance.
Source: Current Colorectal Cancer Reports - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research