PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS for colorectal cancer
Peritoneal surgery
A significant number of colorectal cancers present with carcinomatosis, which is the presence of tumor nodules throughout the abdominal cavity. In these cases, personalized treatment with chemotherapy can be administered, based on each the genetic alterations driving the growth of each patient's tumor. Therapy with selected monoclonal antibodies can also be administered based on the same criteria.
Following this treatment, peritoneal cytoreductive surgery can be performed, involving complete resection of the peritoneal nodules and therefore any metastases. In certain cases, this allows for treatment with curative intent to be applied.
Surgery of liver metastases
Some 40% of colorectal cancer patients present with liver metastases at diagnosis, and more than half of patients who undergo surgery for malignancies in the colon will go on to develop liver metastases. Most of these patients require combination treatment with chemotherapy and targeted therapies. In our center, we perform genetic testing to detect specific biomarkers such as mutations of the KRAS, BRAF, PTEN and P3K genes in order to determine which patients can benefit from these treatments. In this way we increased the chances of successful therapy by tailoring treatment to each patient.
Achieving a reduction in the size of liver metastases increases the chances of successful surgery of the same, and therefore the chances of survival.