Survival in metastatic colorectal cancer has improved, but further drug development needed
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Survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer has improved steadily since 2012, according to retrospective study results.
Researchers attributed this trend to several factors, including use of immunotherapy, surgical resection of liver metastases and use of third-line chemotherapy.
The analysis included 1,420 patients with de novo metastatic colorectal cancer who received their primary treatment at The University of MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2004 through 2019.
Despite survival improvements, results showed the majority of patients died within 5 years of diagnosis. This highlights the need for more study and the development of more effective therapeutic strategies, particularly targeted treatments, researchers concluded.
Healio spoke with investigator John Paul Y.C. Shen, MD, physician-scientist and assistant professor in the department of gastrointestinal medical oncology at MD Anderson, about the findings and their potential implications.
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