Molecular Landscape and Therapeutic Strategies against Colorectal Cancer
1
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
2
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cancers 2024, 16(8), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16081551
Submission received: 7 March 2024
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Revised: 10 April 2024
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Accepted: 12 April 2024
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Published: 18 April 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Targeted Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancer)
Simple Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Genetic alterations promote cancer development and its spread to distant sites. Medications that counteract the effects of these alterations/mutations, called targeted therapies, are used to treat CRC. Immunotherapy, another class of medications that promotes immune system mediated recognition and destruction of cancer cells, is used for treatment of a small subset of CRC patients. Here we review the current state of knowledge and ongoing research into biomarkers, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy for CRC treatment.
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Although the overall incidence of CRC is decreasing, the incidence of young-onset CRC, characterized by a diagnosis of CRC before age 50, is increasing. Outcomes for CRC patients are improving, partly due to comprehensive molecular characterization of tumors and novel therapeutic strategies. Advances in genomic and transcriptomic analyses using blood- and tumor-tissue-based sequencing have facilitated identification of distinct tumor subtypes harboring unique biological characteristics and therapeutic vulnerabilities. These insights have led to the development and incorporation of targeted therapies and immunotherapy in CRC treatment. In this review, we discuss the molecular landscape and key oncogenes/tumor suppressors contributing to CRC tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. We also discuss personalized therapeutic strategies for subsets of CRC patients and provide an overview of evolving novel treatments being evaluated in clinical trials.
