Introduction and DesignThe introduction of the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFR-I) has increased the treatment options available for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Two EGFR-I agents currently approved for the treatment of mCRC are the fully human monoclonal antibody panitumumab and the mouse-human chimeric monoclonal antibody cetuximab. While these agents have demonstrated activity across multiple lines of therapy, early studies suggested that clinical benefit was confined to a subset of patients treated. Mutation of the KRAS oncogene has emerged as a powerful negative predictive biomarker to identify patients with mCRC who do not benefit from EGFR-I therapy. Multiple retrospective analyses have demonstrated that clinical benefit from treatment with EGFR-I is limited to patients with tumors harboring the wild-type KRAS gene. In this review, the KRAS pathway and studies evaluating KRAS as a prognostic marker in CRC are discussed along with advances in KRAS gene mutation testing. Clinical trials evaluating the role of KRAS status in response to EGFR-I monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy are also highlighted along with ongoing studies evaluating the role of EGFR-I treatment on curative resections rates.Results and ConclusionFuture studies investigating EGFR-I therapy in mCRC should incorporate KRAS mutation testing into the study protocol in order to more accurately determine the patient population that will obtain clinical benefit from these novel agents.

Currently world is fighting with global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). At this time of uncertainty, oncologists are struggling to provide appropriate care to cancer patients. They have to weigh risk and benefit of giving cancer treatment vs chances of getting them infected with COVID-19. As cancer patients are immunocompromised and there are high chances of exposure during hospital visits and if they get infected, outcome can be fatal. So through the column of this article, we would like to provide basic guideline in management of cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has posed unparalleled challenges for health care communities, the general population, and in particular, for patients suffering from various comorbidities. Patients with hematological disorders, both benign and malignant need special attention during this crisis time to ensure uninterrupted delivery of optimal care (Sahu & Siddiqui, 2020).Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited anemia in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). There is a significant SCD burden with an approximate number of 80,000 to 100,000 and 12,500 -15,000 individuals living with SCD in the US and UK respectively(Coronavirus Disorder, n.d.;Steinberg, 1999). Patients with SCD are prone to increased risk of infections which can trigger acute chest syndrome (ACS) and related pulmonary complications. SARS-CoV-2 virus, the responsible agent for the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, has been found as a trigger agent to develop ACS and the Veno-occlusive crisis (VOC) in patients

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