Making Strides in the Battle against Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Ten years ago, the average life expectancy of an advanced staged colorectal cancer patient was approximately a year. Due to advances in research, the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer has significantly improved the outlook of patients ? more than doubling the average survival.

More important is the shift in patient care towards individualized therapies. Not only do we incorporate new drugs in the management of colorectal cancer, but we incorporate them in a smarter way. The availability of various treatment options has finally allowed us to choose the best course based on the goals of therapy, the characteristics of the tumor and what the patient can tolerate.

A uniform treatment plan for all patients is no longer acceptable. We now know what molecular markers to look for in tumors and how to use that information to select the best treatment options. This ? along with a multidisciplinary approach incorporating medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgical oncologists ? has appropriately raised the expectations bar.

Our goal for patients with metastatic disease is no longer just to alleviate symptoms or extend survival but to achieve a cure. Cures for metastatic colon cancer are increasingly seen in patients with disease that has spread to the liver, lungs, lymph nodes, and even in select cases with a solitary bony metastasis. True, curative-intent surgery following chemotherapy in this population is still limited to fewer than 30% of patients with advanced disease. But this is an improvement.

We have gone a long way but a lot more needs to be done. As we continue to experience further improvements in the coming decade through the approval of new targeted drugs and identification of biomarkers of drug sensitivity, a cure is no longer a myth ? it is becoming a reality.

Source: http://mcancertalk.org/2350/making-strides-in-the-battle-against-advanced-colorectal-cancer/

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