Survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has improved dramatically over the past two decades; in some patients, median overall survival now exceeds 30 months. The introduction of monoclonal antibodies targeting either EGFR or VEGF, and the emergence of immunotherapy for select mCRC patients, have contributed to this improvement.
The standard of care for patients with mCRC is driven by microsatellite instability status and the presence of RAS or BRAF mutations. Approximately half of colorectal carcinomas harbor a RAS mutation—KRAS or NRAS—and these mutations are strong indicators of resistance to anti-EGFR therapies.
Dr Andrea Cercek from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City discusses some of the latest research in targeted therapy for mCRC patients with mutations along the Ras-Raf–mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, including emerging combination therapies that are showing improved median survival rates.
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Cite this: Targeted Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer - Medscape - Mar 17, 2020.
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