Deciphering the importance of biomarkers in colorectal and urothelial cancers in the era of precision oncology

Abstract

Precision oncology is a rapidly evolving field in many different aspects. Taking this in mind and considering the central role of biomarkers in precision oncology, this thesis affords various important aspects regarding predictive and prognostic biomarkers in two important clinical scenarios. First, this thesis presents a systematic and comprehensive review on metastatic colorectal cancer that summarizes the most relevant milestones achieved in the field of predictive biomarkers to various treatments; analyzes and discusses methodological aspects, current trends, and future directions in this exciting area. Second, because of the lack of biomarkers in the context of mucinous colorectal cancer, this thesis affords the role of microRNAs from a biological and prognostic viewpoint in this specific colorectal cancer subtype. Lastly, this thesis presents a multicenter retrospective study in metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients, which investigates the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy, and explores pretreatment factors influencing therapeutic outcomes in daily clinical practice.