Adoptive cell therapy in colorectal cancer: Advances in chimeric antigen receptor T cells

Table 1 Standard treatments for colorectal cancer

Treatment method	Indication	Description
Surgical treatment	Early-stage colorectal cancer	Resection of the primary tumor along with regional lymph nodes, typically for localized tumors without distant metastasis
Chemotherapy	Early-stage and advanced colorectal cancer	Systemic treatment using cytotoxic agents to eradicate cancer cells. Chemotherapy is commonly employed adjuvantly after surgical resection to reduce recurrence risk or as a primary treatment in metastatic cases. Common agents include 5-FU, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan
Radiation therapy	Rectal cancer	Primarily utilized in rectal cancer for preoperative tumor downstaging or as postoperative adjuvant therapy to reduce the risk of local recurrence
Targeted therapy	Advanced colorectal cancer	Involves agents that specifically target cancer cell molecular markers, such as anti-angiogenic therapies or monoclonal antibodies. Bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab (Erbitux) are among the most commonly used agents
Immunotherapy	Advanced colorectal cancer, particularly MSI-H tumors	Employs immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance the body’s immune response against cancer. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) are commonly used in microsatellite instability-high tumors
Interventional therapy	Locally recurrent or unresectable advanced CRC	Includes localized procedures such as radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization, aimed at controlling tumor progression in patients with advanced or inoperable disease
Chemotherapy combination	Advanced colorectal cancer, particularly metastatic CRC	A multimodal approach combining chemotherapy with targeted therapy or immunotherapy to improve therapeutic efficacy, commonly using regimens like FOLFOX or FOLFIRI

CRC: Colorectal cancer; MSI-H: Microsatellite instability-high; 5-FU: 5-fluorouracil.