Onkológia 1/2017

Optimal first-line treatment of mCRC

Chemotherapy based on fluoropyrimidines and irinotecan or oxaliplatine has been the cornerstone of treatment pacients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) for several decades. Despite the introduction of new drugs targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor or epidermal growth factor receptor survival and disease control remains poor. The median survival of patients has improved from one year to more than three years due to the introduction of target therapy. The optimal combination and sequence of treatment is unknown for now, but it should be very carefully chosen based on the current available data. The data show that patients whose primary tumors originate on the left side of the colon survive significantly longer than those whose tumors originate on the right side. Early tumor shrinkage (ETS) and depth of response (DpR) predict overall survival (OS) in first-line trials of chemotherapy ± anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Keywords: metastatic colorectal cancer, first-line treatment, ESMO, early tumor shrinkage, primary tumor location