What does pan-solid tumor mean?

Pan-tumor (Pan-tumor) refers to a cancer treatment strategy or drug concept that is not limited to specific organs or tissues and is applicable to a variety of solid tumors in different locations. Traditional cancer treatments are usually based on the site of tumor occurrence (such as lung cancer, breast cancer), while pan-solid tumor strategies are based on the molecular characteristics or genetic alterations of tumors, such as specific gene mutations or signaling pathway abnormalities, regardless of which organ they occur in.

As oncology advances, common molecular mechanisms have been discovered among many cancers, such as NTRKgene fusions, MSI-H (high microsatellite instability) or BRAF mutations. Targeted drugs developed based on these specific molecular characteristics, such as larotrectinib and entrectinib, are no longer limited to treating tumors at a certain site, but are applicable to patients with any solid tumor with this specific molecular change.

Pan-solid tumor treatment has a wider range of indications and can cover patients with different types of solid tumors. It makes treatment more precise, no longer purely based on the location of the lesion, but based on the molecular characteristics of individual tumors. This approach enables even patients with rare tumors or rare genetic mutations to find corresponding treatment options, improving efficacy and survival rates.

A number of pan-solid tumor drugs have been approved. For example, larotrectinib and entrectinib are both approved to treat patients with solid tumors harboringNTRKgene fusions. Pembrolizumab is also approved for the treatment of patients with solid tumors that have high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) or DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR). The development of these drugs breaks through traditional anatomical site-based treatments.

(Click to view an introduction to drugs for the treatment of solid tumors.)

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Reference materials

National Cancer Institute - Targeted Therapy for Cancer

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapy