Published online Jul 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i25.7648
Peer-review started: February 4, 2015
First decision: March 10, 2015
Revised: March 19, 2015
Accepted: April 28, 2015
Article in press: April 28, 2015
Published online: July 7, 2015
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma continues to heavily burden clinicians worldwide. Researchers have discovered the genomic landscape of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which holds promise for an era of personalized oncology care. One of the most pressing problems facing this issue is to improve the understanding of the newly available genomic data, and identify the driver-gene mutations, pathways, and networks. The emergence of a legion of novel targeted agents has generated much hope and hype regarding more potent treatment regimens, but the accuracy of drug selection is still arguable. Other problems, such as cancer heterogeneity, drug resistance, exceptional responders, and side effects, have to be surmounted. Evolving topics in personalized oncology, such as interpretation of genomics data, issues in targeted therapy, research approaches for targeted therapy, and future perspectives, will be discussed in this editorial.
Core tip: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma represents a heavy burden on clinicians worldwide. Recently, researchers have discovered the genomic landscape of this cancer, which holds promise for an era of personalized oncology care. Evolving topics in personalized oncology, such as interpretation of genomics data, critical issues in targeted therapy, research approaches, and future perspectives, are discussed in this editorial.