44th ASCO highlights superiority of biologics and importance of biomarkers

Biologics dominated the American Society of Clinical Onocologist's annual meeting again this year. Long-term data presented at the conference in Chicago last week show the superiority of first-line therapy with sunitinib and cetuximab over chemotherapy in prolonging overall survival of patients with renal and lung cancer respectively.

New findings also emphasized the growing importance of biomarkers, notably KRAS, affecting epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors. Selecting patients with metastatic colorectal cancer most likely to benefit from EGFR blockers represents another step towards personalized care.