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Resistance Mechanisms to Colorectal Cancer Therapeutics and the Clinical Implications

  • Basic Science Foundations in Colorectal Cancer (J Roper, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Colorectal Cancer Reports

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death and additional treatment options are urgently needed. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment options for patients for many years, including FOLFOX (leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and oxaliplatin) or FOLFIRI (5-FU, leucovorin, and irinotecan) Here we review the current clinical use of systemic therapies for metastatic CRC and mechanisms of resistance to these agents.

Recent Findings

Biologic therapies, including anti-angiogenic and anti-epidermal growth factor monoclonal antibodies, have shown increased efficacy for patients with metastatic CRC. Most recently, immunotherapies have also been an option for some patients.

Summary

Identification of molecular markers predictive of response or resistance has led to enhanced ability to treat patients with metastatic CRC in a more personalized fashion.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the UW Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research, 1111 Highland Ave Madison, 6507, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Philip Emmerich & Dustin A. Deming

  2. McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research, 1111 Highland Ave Madison, 6507, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Linda Clipson & Dustin A. Deming

  3. University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, USA

    Dustin A. Deming

  4. William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA

    Dustin A. Deming

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  1. Philip Emmerich
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  2. Linda Clipson
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  3. Dustin A. Deming
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Correspondence to Dustin A. Deming.

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Conflict of Interest

Philip Emmerich declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Linda Clipson declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Dustin A. Deming has received research funding through grants from Merck and Millennium.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Financial Support

This project was supported by P30 CA014520 (Core Grant, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center).

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Basic Science Foundations in Colorectal Cancer

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Emmerich, P., Clipson, L. & Deming, D.A. Resistance Mechanisms to Colorectal Cancer Therapeutics and the Clinical Implications. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 13, 334–340 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-017-0374-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-017-0374-5

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