Integrated Decision-Making in the Treatment of Colon-Rectal Cancer: The Case of KRAS-Mutated Tumors.
Sara CherriLaura MelocchiLaura GandolfiGiulio RossiAlberto ZaniboniPublished in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)
In recent years, precision medicine has taken an increasing place in various branches of medical oncology, including colorectal cancer. Among the potentially relevant mutations for this cancer is the KRAS mutation, initially defined as "untargetable"; today, we see the birth of new molecules that target one of the variants of the KRAS mutation, KRAS G12C, having a significant impact on the therapeutic options for other malignancies, such as metastatic lung cancer. This fundamental step forward has stimulated scientific research on other potential targets of KRAS, both indirect and direct, and combination treatments aiming to overcome the mechanisms of resistance to these drugs that decrease in efficacy in colorectal cancer. What was once a negative predictive marker of response to anti-EGFR drugs today has become a potential target for targeted treatments. In turn, the prognostic role of the mutation has become extremely interesting, making it a potentially useful element in therapeutic decision-making, not only regarding oncological treatments but also in a more complex and complete manner within a global vision of the patient, involving other figures on the multidisciplinary team, such as surgeons, radiotherapists, and interventional radiologists.
Keyphrases
- wild type
- rectal cancer
- small cell lung cancer
- decision making
- palliative care
- quality improvement
- squamous cell carcinoma
- healthcare
- prostate cancer
- locally advanced
- tyrosine kinase
- epidermal growth factor receptor
- risk assessment
- dna methylation
- gene expression
- pregnant women
- artificial intelligence
- single molecule
- young adults
- genome wide
- drug delivery
- gestational age
- thoracic surgery