The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided communication to increase awareness of recent updates to the product labeling of capecitabine (Xeloda) and fluorouracil—indicated for colorectal, breast, gastric/esophageal/gastroesophageal, and pancreatic cancers—related to risks associated...
Colorectal metastases isolated to the liver no longer portend a universally fatal outcome. In 2024, the TransMet study1demonstrated that liver transplantation in select patients could be life-saving—thus changing the treatment paradigm—but so can surgical resection when appropriately applied....
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Conca et al, the final results of the Italian phase III TRIPLETE trial showed that first-line mFOLFOXIRI (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, irinotecan) plus panitumumab improved overall survival vs mFOLFOX (modified fluorouracil,...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Iveson et al, final results of the UK-based noninferiority phase III SCOT trial have shown noninferiority of 3 vs 6 months of adjuvant oxaliplatin plus fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy in overall survival among patients with colorectal cancer....
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has announced its newly elected 2026 class of Fellows of the AACR Academy. The Fellows of the AACR Academy was established to honor scientists, clinicians, and physician-scientists whose visionary work has reshaped the landscape of cancer...
Color vision deficiency is an inherited condition affecting 1 in 12 males (8%) and 1 in 200 females (0.5%), most often impairing the ability to distinguish the color red. A recent study published in Nature Health examined the possible impact of color vision deficiency on survival outcomes among...
A recent, innovative study provides radiation oncologists with practical guidance to identify and protect female sexual organs during pelvic cancer treatment. Published by Greenwald et al in Practical Radiation Oncology, the report’s authors address a long-standing gap in cancer care by bringing...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Yeh et al found that childhood cancer survivors who received abdominopelvic radiation, who are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, can benefit from early screening to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and associated...
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) in collaboration with 10x Genomics, Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has launched an open foundational database for cancer immunotherapy research. The...
Studies have demonstrated a link between alcohol consumption and an elevated risk of colorectal cancer. New research now reveals that higher lifetime alcohol consumption is also associated with a higher risk, especially for rectal cancer, and that quitting drinking can lower a person’s risk. The...
A new study by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers shows that overall cancer mortality in people younger than age 50 in the United States has decreased by 44%, from 25.5 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 14.2 in 2023. The progress is due to declines in mortality for four of the five leading...
In 2018, the federal government expanded the coverage duration of short-term limited-duration (STLD) health plans from 3 months to less than 12 months, with the option to renew for a total duration of up to 36 months. Some states imposed more stringent regulations than those federally imposed or...
An investigational cancer vaccine, NOUS-209, has shown potential for intercepting precancerous and cancerous cells before the disease can develop in individuals with Lynch syndrome, thereby showing the potential to prevent cancer from developing in these high-risk individuals, according to findings ...
Although it’s been widely reported for years that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 by between 1% and 2% annually since the mid-1990s,1 two new studies by Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, Associate Chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Founding...
New data published by Siegel et al in the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Cancer Statistics, 2026 report show that, for the first time, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined has reached 70% for individuals diagnosed during 2015 to 2021 in the United States. In addition, those diagnosed...
It is estimated that hereditary factors play a role in about 5% to 10% of colorectal cancer cases, with a higher prevalence of hereditary factors seen in younger patients. Many colorectal polyps are considered potential precursors to cancer: at least 10 polyps in individuals younger than 60 years...
Higher intake of food preservatives, widely used in industrially processed foods and beverages to extend shelf life, is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancer, according to the results of a French study published by Hasenböhler et al in The BMJ. While further research is needed to...
Colon cancer is among the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality both in the United States and globally. Emerging evidence suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) may influence cancer mortality, and the results from a new study may add to that mounting ...
Greater levels of physical activity in the first 2 years after a colorectal cancer diagnosis were associated with reduced cancer-related fatigue and improved quality of life in patients with nonmetastatic disease, according to findings from a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal analysis from a...
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2025, about 154,270 individuals were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and approximately 53,000 individuals died from the...
The combination regimen of FOLFOX chemotherapy (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin), bevacizumab, and atezolizumab led to a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with atezolizumab monotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with deficient...
New results from the BREAKWATER trial show that the targeted therapy combination of encorafenib and cetuximab with the chemotherapy fluorouracil, folinic acid, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) can reduce the size or number of tumors in patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. Adding...
Studies show that while the overall rates of colorectal cancer are decreasing, for individuals younger than age 50, the incidence has risen by an alarming 50% since the mid-1990s. While the exact causes are unknown, poor diet and alcohol consumption are believed to be contributing factors. A study...
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has linked obesity to increases in the development of 13 cancers, including breast, colorectal, kidney, endometrial, thyroid, pancreatic, liver, multiple myeloma, gastric cardia, meningioma, ovarian, esophageal, and gallbladder cancers. Now, a new...
The development of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) has revolutionized the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The agents offer therapeutic potential in a host of other conditions, including cardiovascular, liver, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels may help to determine which patients with colon cancer could benefit from the addition of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as celecoxib, to chemotherapy following surgery, according to findings from a post hoc analysis of the CALGB/SWOG 80702...
When Julie began chemotherapy for breast cancer, her oncologist adjusted antiemetics weekly and carefully tracked neutrophil counts. Still, no one asked about the panic attacks that kept her awake at night. She told herself this was just part of cancer. It was not until she stopped showing up for...
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) published its World Cancer Declaration 2025–2035 framework on November 19, 2025.1 The declaration urges governments and policymakers to take decisive action to reduce the global burden of cancer; promote equitable access to prevention, diagnosis,...
A new study of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with seven common cancers reveals that nearly one in ten patients diagnosed with non-metastatic disease later develop metastatic recurrence. The information was shared in a news statement from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. Scientists at ...
A recent large, retrospective study by Giblon et al has found that individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities face an increased risk of developing cancer, higher symptom burden once they get cancer compared with those without such disabilities, and disparities in accessing...
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) offered a statement on the death of Dr. Ed Chu. Portions of that statement are provided here: “Dr. Chu has had a distinguished career as a physician-scientist, clinical investigator, educator/mentor, and senior leader at NCI-Designated...
Albert Einstein Collegeof Medicine and Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center shared news of the death of the Cancer Center’s Director, Edward Chu, MD, MMS, on November 13, 2025. The cause of death was glioma. Here is the statement: “We are deeply saddened to share the news that Dr. Ed...
Over the past year (December 2024–November 19, 2025), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and expanded indications for many drugs related to the treatment of different types of cancers. The new approvals and accelerated approvals are listed below according to the most recent new...
The Combined Analysis of Pathology and Artificial Intelligence (AI; CAPAI) model effectively stratified patients with colon cancer into distinct prognostic groups, identifying nearly half as low-risk, with “favorable” cancer-specific survival outcomes in the absence of adjuvant chemotherapy,...
In an Italian phase II trial (NO-CUT) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Amatu et al found that total neoadjuvant therapy followed by nonoperative management in cases of complete response resulted in promising outcomes in patients with proficient mismatch repair or microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS)...
Based on the results of a population-based cohort study published in Annals of Family Medicine by Wang et al, high dietary glycemic index is linked to increased risks of lung cancer, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), whereas glycemic load is inversely associated ...
Almost 10% of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with earlier-stage cancer develop metastatic disease, and survival outcomes were found to be worse for patients who developed metastatic recurrence compared with those who had metastatic disease at initial diagnosis for almost all analyzed ...
In an individual patient meta-analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stahler et al identified outcomes associated with consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) in patients undergoing first-line treatment for RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Study Details Individual patient...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) will award three cancer researchers with this year’s Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. The prize, named in honor of former MSK president Paul Marks, MD, recognizes a new generation of leaders who are making significant contributions to the...
The phase III STELLAR-303 trial evaluated the anti-VEGFR–related multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanzalintinib in combination with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab vs the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib in patients with previously treated non–microsatellite instability (MSI)–high...
Routine screening is limited to only a few cancer types. New research indicates that routine liquid biopsy testing (multicancer early detection testing) could substantially reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses, allowing patients to receive treatment at earlier stages of disease, when they are more...
In a letter to the editor published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Markus F. Neurath, MD, of Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany, and colleagues described the course of treatment in a 21-year-old woman with severe multidrug-resistant ulcerative colitis who...
In a phase III trial (STELLAR-303) reported in The Lancet, Hecht et al found that the combination of the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanzalintinib and atezolizumab improved overall survival vs regorafenib in patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was found to be a strong prognostic classifier for patients with stage III colon cancer following surgery, according to findings from the phase II/III DYNAMIC-III trial. Findings from the study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 ...
Multiple studies have reported increasing rates of cancer in younger adults in individual countries, but have not included an international comparison across countries. To address this limitation, Berrington de Gonzalez et al conducted a surveillance study across 42 countries evaluating cancer...
Despite numerous studies showing the benefits of integrating palliative care in both the early- and advanced-stage cancer settings,1 palliative care remains underutilized for most patients with cancer. A recent study by the American Cancer Society found that only 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with...
In a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Owens et al identified the risks of colorectal subsequent malignant neoplasms (SMNs) associated with colorectal-specific radiotherapy (RT) doses and chemotherapy doses among 5-year survivors of childhood...
In 2022, Congress requested a scientific review from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study the associated risks of cancer and other health conditions and the use of alcohol. The concern was that the health risks associated with low-to-moderate consumption of ...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus...
In individuals younger than age 50 undergoing a colonoscopy, greater odds for having colorectal cancer were observed among those who presented with rectal bleeding, according to findings from a study presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 and published in the...