title: Combining chemotherapy and targeted therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer.
abstract: Colorectal cancer remains one of the major causes of cancer death worldwide. During the past years, the development of new effective treatment options has led to a considerable improvement in the outcome of this disease. The advent of agents such as capecitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, erbitux and bevacizumab has translated into median survival times in the range of 2 years. Intense efforts have focused on identifying novel agents targeting specific growth factor receptors, critical signal transduction pathways or mediators of angiogenesis. In addition, several clinical trials have suggested that some of these molecularly targeted drugs can be safely and effectively used in combination with conventional chemotherapy. In this article we review various treatment options combining cytotoxic and targeted therapies currently available for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Unit for the Research and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Malignancies, Department of Oncology, Clinica Universitaria, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Spain. jrodriguez@unav.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zarate
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bandres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viudez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chopitea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Foncillas
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gil-Bazo
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors