Cancer Treatment Today

Gemzar( gemcitabine) has been tested for colon and recatl cancer. A 1992 study found that Gemcitabine did not demonstrate activity against advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma. ON teh other hand,a much later study found that Gemcitabine has a modest activity in heavily pre-treated colorectal cancer patients and may be an option in good performance status patients. There are a number of reports and ongoing studies of gemcitabine in combination for

Dasatinib, also known as Sprycel, is a cancer drug produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb and sold under the trade name Sprycel. It is a drug that is approved by the FDA for chronic myelogenous leukemia. It has certain boplogical efects that raised the hope that it might be able to affect colon cancer. Unfortunately, thus far one phase II trial(Nautiyal et al) showed that Dasatinib is inactive in previously treated metastatic colorectal patients patients.

Afinitor is a new exciting drug that is approved for breast and kidney cancer and other conditions. Evidence for using Afinitor for colorectal cancer is weak - one small trial with weak results. There is some evidence from this trial ( Altomare et al) reported in ASCO 2012 that some colorectal cancer patients whose tumors had gotten worse on all standard treatments can benefit from a combination of Afinitor® (everolimus) and Avastin® (bevacizumab).

Zaltrap was approved by the FDA in the beginning of August 2012. It is also known as aflibercept, VEGF trap or, when used for macular degeneration, Eylea.  By binding to and inhibiting vessel growth(angiogenic) growth factors, aflibercept inhibits tumor vessel production and supply. Aflibercept has demonstrated efficacy in treating metastatic colorectal cancer in a recent randomized Phase III trial. The approval for colon cancer was based on a phase

There are now five different classes of drugs with significant antitumor activity in colon cancer: Fluoropyrimidine(5-fluorouracil [5-FU] which is usually given with leucovorin [LV], capecitabine, tegafur plus uracil [UFT]), Irinotecan, Oxaliplatin, Cetuximab and panitumumab (Vectbix). The latter two are monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and bevacizumab, is a monoclonal antibody targeting