The application of the modern target medications for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer
The colorectal cancer (CRC) morbidity and mortality remain at the unacceptably high level all over the world. During the recent years, an increasingly more cases of its disseminated form have been treated with the use of the targeted medications displaying the directional action on the preselected specific molecular structures in the tumour cells. The use of targeted therapy made it possible to achieve in certain cases an increase of the survival rate among the patients with metastatic CRC up to 20—29 months. The FOLFIRI/FOLFOX and CAPIRI/CAPOX regimens provide, as before, the backbone for the management of CRC. The targeted agents, such as inhibitors of the receptors of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are currently included into the programs for the combined chemotherapy-based treatment of the condition in question. Such approaches are considered to be very promising from the standpoint of effectiveness and safety of the treatment of CRC. The overview of the literature publications is focused on the results of the most important clinical studies with the application of the currently available up-to-date targeted medications for the management of metastatic colorectal cancer. It should be emphasized, however, that this therapeutic modality does not always improve the prognosis for all the patients. Further investigations are needed to develop the novel approaches for the personalized cancer therapy with the use of the modern targeted medications taking into consideration the prognostic markers of individual responsiveness of the tumours to the treatment.