August 2020
Expanding the continuum of care for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
PROFESSOR MARC PEETERS, HEAD OF THE ONCOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT THE ANTWERP UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
An expanding continuum of care for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer – a podcast with Professor Marc Peeters (UZA, Antwerp)
In recent years, several effective third- and fourth-line therapies have emerged for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). These new therapeutic options have further broadened the continuum of care for mCRC patients, resulting in a prolonged survival and a better quality of life. In a new episode of our BJMO Oncotalks series, Professor Marc Peeters, head of the oncology department at the Antwerp University Hospital, discusses the current treatment landscape for patients with mCRC. In addition, he provides his views on how therapeutic combination strategies and molecularly targeted agents might impact this treatment landscape in the years to come.
In 2018, CRC was the second most common malignancy in women and the third most common cancer type in men.1 Unfortunately, up to a quarter of patients will have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, while many other will develop metastases during the course of their disease. Over the last several decades, significant advances have been made in the treatment of mCRC, resulting in an improved survival prospect for these patients.2 These improvements can (at least in part) be attributed to a shift in the mCRC treatment paradigm from a strategy in which patients receive successive “lines” of chemotherapy continued until disease progression, to that of a continuum of care, in which the treatment is tailored to the individual patient. This includes switching chemotherapy prior to disease progression, maintenance therapy, drug holidays, locoregional treatment of metastases in selected patients, etc.3 The recent addition of effective third- and fourth-line therapies (i.e. trifluridine/tipiracil and regorafenib) has further expanded the possibilities in the continuum of care for patients with mCRC, enabling a further survival extension for these patients with a positive impact on their QoL.4,5
This OncoTalk is brought to you by the publisher of the Belgian Journal of Medical Oncology (BJMO) in partnership with Servier Benelux NV/SA.
References
- https://gco.iarc.fr. Consulted August 31st 2020.
- Brenner H, Kloor M, Pox CP. Colorectal cancer. Lancet. 2014;383(9927):1490-1502.
- Goldberg R, Rothenberg M, Van Cutsem E, et al. The continuum of care: a paradigm for the management of metastatic colorectal cancer. Oncologist 2007;12(1):38-50.
- Grothey A, Van Cutsem E, Sobrero A, et al; CORRECT Study Group. Regorafenib monotherapy for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (CORRECT): an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2013;381(9863):303-312.
- Van Cutsem E, Mayer RJ, Laurent S, et al; RECOURSE Study Group. The subgroups of the phase III RECOURSE trial of trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) versus placebo with best supportive care in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2018;90:63-72.
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