RESEARCH ARTICLE Development of a semi-co in o

IRCCS, 80131 Naples, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleAlthough molecular mechanisms underlying carcinogen-esis have been the subject of medical research for decades, only in the last few years has this information translated into the clinical setting through ‘smart ’ drugs targeting specific molecular aberrations of neoplastic cells [1]. Tar-get based agents were initially explored in unselected cohorts of cancer patients, and this approach led to failure of the majority of clinical trials with these new agents. with targeted agents on the basis of specific molecular al-terations of neoplastic cells has been acknowledged [2,3]. This new therapeutic approach has led to the approval of novel drugs for molecularly selected patient populations. These agents have revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients, improving treatment outcome, while minimizing side effects. The number of predictive biomarkers that are assessed in clinical practice is rapidly increasing with the availabil-ity of drugs that target specific molecular alterations [4]. In some tumor types, such as non-small-cell lung carcin-oma (NSCLC) and colorectal carcinoma (CRC), a ne