A critical review of the highlights of the ESMO Symposium on Signalling Pathways in Cancer 2016, held March 2016 in partnership with the European Association of Cancer Research, is presented in this podcast. The meeting addressed developments in personalized medicine associated with the HER/EGFR family. Key subjects discussed were the bases of the mechanisms of signal transduction and primary and secondary resistance to EGFR-inhibiting drugs, and the emergence of better characterized subtypes of common tumors such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and gastric cancer, and new utilities to effect these characterizations. Findings to consider include the increasing importance of tumor heterogeneity; the understanding that not all cells in a tumor have the same mutation may help develop new kinase inhibitors and new strategies. Further, data suggest that maintaining inhibition of the signaling process, even in the face of secondary resistance, can prolong clinical benefit. There is a need to develop new compounds that either bind more effectively to known EGFR mutations, or which can bind to newly identified mutations. The potential of both vertical and horizontal inhibition to achieve synergistic effects and so prolong tumor control was stressed.

The highlights are presented by Josep Tabernero, of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology - Medical Oncology, Barcelona, Spain ([email protected]). This podcast is conducted by Anna Berghoff, Department of Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.