Tomáš Šálek
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Prevention through screening is the best approach to combat the development of colorectal cancer through the removal of precursor adenomas. However, many patients are diagnosed with an advanced disease which requires surgery and systemic therapy to improve survival. With reference to systemic therapy, the median survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (those with tumour spread to lymph nodes or distant sites) has improved over the past three decades due to the introduction of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), its subsequent biomodulation, and the addition of other chemotherapeutic agents. Over the past 16 years, significant progress has been made in the systemic treatment of this malignant condition. Many new chemotherapeutic agents have been introduced, increasing median overall survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer from 6 months with no treatment to approximately 24 months. More recently, systemic biological therapies that are targeted to signalling processes for tumour growth, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor, are also effective in improving of patient’s survival with metastatic colorectal cancer.