Antiangiogenic therapies in colorectal cancer

Summary

Angiogenesis is a very important step in the development of cancer. Several antiangiogenic biological agents have been studied during the past two decades for the treatment of colorectal cancer, both in adjuvant and metastatic settings. The first and most intensively studied is bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor. Since its approval in 2004, other antiangiogenic agents have been evaluated in clinical trials and some subsequently approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer such as aflibercept, ramucirumab, and regorafenib. In general, antiangiogenic agents show a modest efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer but not in the adjuvant setting. Also, there are no predictive biomarkers that could aid in selecting responsive patients. In this review we summarize the results of the completed large clinical trials investigating the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapies in colorectal cancer.

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