title: Recent advances in the pharmacological treatment of colorectal cancer.
abstract: Recent advances in the treatment of colorectal cancer have lead to significant gains in response rates and survival. The combination of newer agents such as irinotecan and oxaliplatin with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin using various dosing schedules in the metastatic setting has resulted in a steady improvement in the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer. Experimental therapies such as epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, have shown promise in early clinical trials and have acceptable toxicity profiles. Efforts towards improving risk-stratification of stage II colorectal cancer patients and optimising therapy in patients with advanced disease, have focused on molecular and genetic markers. It is hoped that the addition of new therapies to existing drug combinations, as well as further advances in the understanding of colorectal cancer biology, will lead to further improvement in survival and quality of life for patients.
authors.affiliation: Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, 1650 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21231-1000, USA.
authors.forename: Wells
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Messersmith
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laheru
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D018631:ras Proteins