From the Mayo Clinic Rochester
Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.
Address reprint requests to Axel Grothey, MD, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Department of Medical Oncology, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905; e-mail: grothey.axel{at}mayo.edu
Overview: Despite the fact that no new truly novel agent has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer within the last 5 years, controversies and uncertainties still exist about the optimal medical management of these patients. Although biomarkers such as KRAS and BRAF help to identify which group of patients will not benefit from the use of certain agents, in particular, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies, the complexity of treatment decisions involved in developing an individualized therapeutic approach far exceeds the issue of whether or not to use one class of drugs in the course of therapy. The purpose of this review is to outline basic principles of strategic planning of medical therapies with the goal of optimizing outcome for patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
