Dr. Kasi on Utility of Personalized Medicine in Colorectal Cancer

Pashtoon M. Kasi, MD, MBBS, MS, assistant professor of oncology, senior associate consultant, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the recycling of therapies in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

A sample of the subtypes in CRC are RAS wild-type and RAF wild-type disease. Patients with these mutations are candidates for EGFR-targeted therapy. These patients respond well to anti-EGFR treatment but eventually develop a resistance to the therapy, said Kasi.

Tissue biopsy or liquid biopsy allows physicians to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and other abnormalities in the pathway, which can later cause resistance to therapy.