Evolving treatment of advanced colon cancer.

Overview

Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy worldwide. Despite significant developments in the treatment of this disease, it still causes considerable morbidity and mortality. Recent advances include both newer cytotoxic chemotherapies and novel biologic agents. Although overall progress has been more modest than had been hoped, substantial benefits have been achieved for some patients, and the number of treatment options has substantially increased. Perhaps most importantly, treatment regimens can now be selected and tailored toward the individual patient following an informed discussion between the patient and the treating oncologist. We present in detail these recent advances and provide some insight into several promising future strategies.