The role of personalized medicine in metastatic colorectal cancer: an evolving landscape.

ABSTRACT: Advances in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer have led to an improvement in survival from 12 months with fluorouracil monotherapy to approximately 2 years. This is partly as a result of the addition of irinotecan and oxaliplatin, but is also due to the use of monoclonal antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and antiangiogenic drugs such as bevacizumab. However, there are significant molecular differences between tumours which can affect both prognosis and response to treatment. Personalized medicine aims to tailor treatment according to the characteristics of the individual patient and is now a clinical reality as testing for KRAS mutations to guide treatment with the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab is now part of routine clini

SUBMITTER: Moorcraft SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3756633 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature