Toward Targeted Therapies in Oesophageal Cancers: An Overview

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Prognosis for patients with oesophageal cancer is poor, because of its aggressive nature and the lack of targeted therapies. Advances in cancer biology and sequencing technology have enabled the selection of targeted therapies for individual patients with various types of tumors, such as breast or lung cancers as well as melanoma. However, precision oncology for patients with oesophageal cancer is still virtually non-existent. This review outlines the recent advances in oesophageal molecular profiling and the outcome of clinical trials based on targeted therapies in this disease. The signaling pathways that should be further investigated and the impact of tumor heterogeneity on resistance to therapy are also discussed. ABSTRACT: Oesophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Oesophageal cancer occurs as squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) or adenocarcinoma (EAC). Prognosis for patients with either ESCC or EAC is poor, with less than 20% of patients surviving more than 5 years after diagnosis. A major progress has been made in the development of biomarker-driven targeted therapies against breast and lung cancers, as well as melanoma. However, precision oncology for patients with oesophageal cancer is still virtually non-existent. In this review, we outline the recent advances in oesophageal cancer profiling and clinical trials based on targeted therapies in this disease.