Newer Agents in Colon Cancer: What’s Next?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) was the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States in 2012, and most patients eventually develop metastatic disease. The use of cytotoxic chemotherapy, the antiangiogenesis drug bevacizumab, and the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab have led to an improvement in median OS for metastatic CRC. Despite this improvement in survival, few agents have activity against CRC. Between 2006 and 2012, the FDA approved no new agents for patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC). Recently, the FDA has approved aflibercept and regorafenib for use in the treatment of patients with mCRC, and several new agents are currently in development. This paper reviews the use of new agents and new uses for established agents in mCRC.