Targeted pharmacotherapy after somatic cancer mutation screening

About this activity

Over the last 20 years the molecular profiles of many solid tumours have been characterised. The discovery of specific variants in critical proteins that influence cancer pathogenesis has seen the development of ‘targeted pharmacotherapy’ – drugs that selectively inhibit unique molecular targets in tumour cells. Compared to traditional cytotoxic agents, targeted drugs have considerable benefits in the treatment of cancer, including improved response rates and less toxicity. This field of cancer therapeutics is rapidly evolving with several hundred ongoing clinical trials. However, there are no local guidelines in Australia to inform the prescribing of targeted pharmacotherapy. As a consequence, clinicians often use resources from pharmaceutical companies, conference presentations, journal publications or recommendations from other countries, such as the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, for their clinical practice. Although the NCCN guidelines are not always d...