Recent Advances in Therapeutic Strategies to Improve Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second-leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. CRC mortality results almost exclusively from metastatic disease (mCRC) for which systemic chemotherapy is often a preferred therapeutic option. Biomarker-based stratification of mCRC enables the use of precision therapy based on individual tumor mutational profiles. Activating mutations in the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway downstream of EGFR signaling have, until recently, limited the use of EGFR-targeted therapies for mCRC; however, the development of anti-RAS and anti-RAF therapies together with improved strategies to limit compensatory signaling pathways is resulting in improved survival rates in several highly lethal mCRC sub-types (e.g., BRAF-mutant). The use of fluoropyrimidine (FP)-based chemotherapy regimens to treat mCRC continues to evolve contributing to improved long-term survival. Future advances in chemotherapy for mCRC will need to position development relative to the advances made in precision oncology.

Review of Prodrug and Nanodelivery Strategies to Improve the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer with Fluoropyrimidine Drugs

“…In this review, we discussed the survival rate and causes of CRC and the current treatment methods emphasizing cytotoxic chemotherapy, which is widely used both in the adjuvant setting and for the treatment of metastatic disease [ 99 ]. The anticancer drug 5-FU has been widely used to treat CRC, and it is central to the current combination chemotherapy regimens in clinical use [ 100 ].…”