Potent molecular-targeted therapies for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a public health concern with a high mortality and disease burden worldwide. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a predominant histological subtype of EC that has unique etiology, molecular profiles, and clinicopathological features. Although systemic chemotherapy, including cytotoxic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors, is the main therapeutic option for recurrent or metastatic ESCC patients, the clinical benefits are limited with poor prognosis. Personalized molecular-targeted therapies have been hampered due to the lack of robust treatment efficacy in clinical trials. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the molecular profiles of ESCC based on the findings of pivotal comprehensive molecular analyses, highlighting potent therapeutic targets for establishing future precision medicine for ESCC patients, with the most recent results of clinical trials.

Automated summary

Esophageal cancer is a global public health concern with high mortality and disease burden. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the predominant histological subtype, has unique etiology, molecular profiles, and clinicopathological features. Although systemic chemotherapy is the main therapeutic option, its clinical benefits are limited with poor prognosis. Personalized molecular-targeted therapies have not been successful in clinical trials. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutic strategies for ESCC patients.