How to Identify the Right Patients for the Right Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC)

Abstract

A major challenge in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is the identification of specific biomarkers that are likely to predict which patients will benefit from a specific treatment, especially in recent years, that available options have substantially increased with the introduction of novel targeted therapies. To this date, a number of studies have shown that a tumor mutational profile influences outcome in mCRC patients treated with an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR)-targeting agent and should, therefore, be used to guide treatment decision. Despite our undeniable progress toward a more personalized treatment approach, we are not yet there. Prognostic and predictive markers have been identified, but their influence in distinct patient populations has not been fully elucidated. Reality seems to be more complex; clinical performance status of the patients and existing comorbidities and our treatment goal, alongside the tumor and patient mutational profile and molecular signature, will guide our initial and subsequent treatment choices.