Emerging therapies for colorectal cancer

Colorectal carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Survival for patients with metastatic disease is similar to 2 years on average and there is an ongoing need for the identification of new therapeutic agents. As the cancer research community has appreciated, newly discovered pathways governing cancer cell growth, survival, apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis - all a host of potential therapeutic targets - have come into view. Basic research, preclinical data and observations arising from early stage trials have pointed towards possible roles for many of these agents in the future treatment of colorectal cancer. In this review, the authors summarize agents in development, modulating several of the most promising molecules and pathways that are thought to be relevant to colorectal cancer.