Regorafenib in the treatment of colorectal cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most frequently diagnosed malignancies, and is commonly associated with metastatic disease at presentation. While chemotherapy represents a mainstay of management, options at the time of disease progression are limited. Regorafenib is a novel multikinase inhibitor which has been evaluated for patients with chemo-refractory metastatic CRC (mCRC) and is currently approved for use in a last-line-of-treatment setting.

Areas covered: Articles searchable on MEDLINE/PubMed were reviewed to provide context for use of regorafenib in the management of mCRC. Specific drug properties are discussed, including chemistry, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism. Additionally, clinical efficacy is reported with consideration of Phases I-III data.

Expert opinion: Phase III evaluation has confirmed the efficacy of regorafenib for patients with chemo-refractory mCRC. Importantly, the rapid accrual of the CORRECT trial revealed the degree of unmet need for this patient population, and proved that it was feasible to compare novel agents to placebo when multiple lines of standard therapy have failed. In the coming years, the role of regorafenib in the management of mCRC should be further clarified, especially through identification of the patient population with greatest anticipated benefit and exploration of its use as an adjuvant or maintenance agent.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; metastatic colorectal cancer; multikinase inhibitor; regorafenib.