Arvind N. Dasari, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses data presented at the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2025, which showed that adding circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing to current standard of care surveillance for patients with colorectal cancer...
Circulating tumor DNA has many roles in cancer treatment: early diagnosis, tumor profiling, determining response to therapy, and tracking clinical dynamics. In this video, Arvind N. Dasari, MD, MS, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focuses on it as a marker for measurable...
Based on the results of an analysis reported in JAMA Network Open by Zhang et al, preexisting depression is associated with an increased risk of mortality from prostate cancer. The investigators commented, “Approximately one in six patients with prostate cancer experience major depression, a...
Large language models (LLMs) can be trained to understand how each patient’s somatic mutations impact their cancer prognosis and possible response to therapy, according to a presentation at the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. John-William...
According to the International Association of Fire & Rescue Services, there are more than 15 million firefighters protecting the inhabitants of 60 countries around the world. And while hazardous exposures from fires encountered by firefighters vary, potential risks include several known or...
Despite advances in early cancer detection, racial and ethnic minority individuals seem to be more likely to have a late-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening. A large study by the American Cancer Society that examined the association between neighborhood-level segregation...
As reported in JAMA Network Open by Sugumar et al, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing neoadjuvant therapies in rectal cancer showed no trial-level association between pathologic complete response and survival. “Our study’s findings suggest a recommendation ...
The 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting included the presentation of data from more than 7,000 abstracts and clinical trials set to advance research, uncover findings, and in some cases change the standard of practice across multiple tumor types, moving science forward and improving care for the more than 2...
In a German population–based, matched case-control study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Wankhede et al found that type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and survival according to tumor immunity status. Study Details The study included 1,889 CRC...
A retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open revealed that biomarker testing rates among patients with advanced cancer have increased over time but remain suboptimal, despite established guideline recommendations and growing insurance coverage for testing. DaCosta Byfield et al noted...
Alcohol-associated cancer deaths have doubled in the United States, disproportionately affecting men and those aged 55 or older, according to the results of an observational study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 Over the study period of 30 years, proportional mortality rates increased...
In an analysis from the French SAMCO-PRODIGE 54 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Taïeb et al examined survival outcomes associated with a change in ctDNA from baseline to 1 month after start of treatment in patients receiving ICI treatment with avelumab for deficient mismatch repair/microsatellite...
Obesity-related cancer deaths have tripled in the United States over the past 2 decades, with significant disparities seen by gender, race, age, and geography, according to findings from a national epidemiological analysis presented at ENDO 2025, the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society...
Rates of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers, beyond just colorectal cancer, are rising among people younger than age 50, according to experts from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Researchers from Dana-Farber published a literature review in the British Journal of Surgery showing that cases of newly ...
Treating drinking water for multiple contaminants, especially arsenic and chromium-6, could prevent more than 50,000 cancer cases in the United States, according to the results of a study by the Environmental Working Group that was published in Environmental Research. Study findings highlighted...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Joffe et al examined the association of high body mass index (BMI) and low physical activity with increased risk of subsequent neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors. Study Details The study involved data on 5-year survivors of childhood cancers diagnosed...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres, manufactured by Sirtex, for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With this approval, these microspheres become the only radioembolization therapy approved for the treatment of both ...
In a French phase II trial (LEANOX) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Assenat et al examined survival outcomes and oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (OIPN) risk associated with lean body mass (LBM)-based oxaliplatin dosing in the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer....
In a phase III trial (POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2) reported in The Lancet, Rao et al investigated the survival benefit of adding the PD-1 inhibitor retifanlimab to carboplatin-paclitaxel in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal. Study Details In the...
Researchers have uncovered a biomarker that may determine response to cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy and survival in patients with colorectal cancer, according to a recent study published by Li et al in The Journal of Immunology. Background Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of...
New reporting in The Cancer Atlas, Fourth Edition, showed that an estimated 50% of all cancer deaths worldwide are attributed to modifiable risk factors, including tobacco and alcohol use, infections, excess body weight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation, environmental...
The number of people living with a history of cancer in the United States is estimated at 18.6 million as of January 1, 2025, and projected to exceed 22 million by 2035, according to a new report, Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Statistics, 2025, led by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The...
Guest Editor’s Note: Although guidelines recommend adjuvant combination chemotherapy for patients with stage II and III colon cancer who are at high risk of disease recurrence, fewer than 50% complete treatment because of fear of adverse effects or symptom burden. The herbal formula Jianpi Bushen ...
Patients with previously untreated BRAF V600E–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer who receive the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 (modified leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) vs the current standard of care (chemotherapy ± bevacizumab) may live...
For the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer with DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors, the addition of the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab to standard chemotherapy significantly improved disease-free survival in the phase III ATOMIC trial. The results position this approach as a...
The order of colorectal cancer diagnosis seems to have a significant impact on outcomes in patients with multiple primary malignancies, according to the results of a study of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data. Findings from the study were published in the Journal of...
Patients with gastrointestinal cancer treated with fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy benefit from an almost eightfold reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality, despite a slight increase in the risk for cardiovascular toxicity, according to recent findings published by Abiodun et al in JACC:...
Computed tomography (CT) colonography demonstrated greater clinical efficacy and cost savings than stool DNA testing for colorectal cancer screening, according to results of a study published in Radiology. "Among the safe, minimally invasive colorectal cancer screening options, CT colonography is ...
In a UK phase II trial (PLATO-ACT4) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gilbert et al compared short-term response rates with standard- vs reduced-dose chemoradiotherapy in patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anus. Study Details In the multicenter, open-label, noncomparative trial,...
A study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigating cancer incidence in the United States between 2010 and 2019 has found that breast, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and kidney cancers are becoming more common among individuals younger than age 50. Although the study...
In a first-in-human, single-institution phase I trial reported in The Lancet Oncology,1 Lou et al found that autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes genetically edited with CRISPR-Cas9 to target the intracellular immune checkpoint CISH were tolerable and showed evidence of activity in patients...
In May in Vienna, five studies presented at ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) 2025 showcased how radiotherapy is reshaping the landscape for anal and rectal cancers. From reduced-dose treatments to cutting-edge combinations with immunotherapy and chemotherapy, these innovations ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved retifanlimab-dlwr (Zynyz), a PD-1–blocking monoclonal antibody, with carboplatin and paclitaxel for the first-line treatment of adults with inoperable locally recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal. The FDA also...
A 3-year structured exercise program initiated soon after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival and overall survival, as well as patient-reported physical functioning and health-related fitness, in patients with stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer. These...
Studies have shown that being overweight or having obesity increases the risk of developing more than a dozen cancers, including meningioma, multiple myeloma, esophageal, thyroid, breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovarian, uterus, and colorectal.1 The presence of excess body...
In the phase III ALASCCA trial, the use of adjuvant daily aspirin for 3 years reduced the risk of recurrence in colorectal cancer harboring PI3K pathway alterations by 51%, according to research in a Scandinavian population presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Anna...
Suneel Deepak Kamath, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, reports findings from a study that evaluated funding from the NIH and Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs supporting lung, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, ovarian, cervical, endometrial, and prostate cancers, as well...
Although alcohol consumption is a known leading preventable cause of cancer, public awareness of the connection may remain concerningly low in the United States, according to a recent study published by Domgue et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Consuming alcohol has been linked to at least seven...
Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet could improve posttreatment survival among patients with colorectal cancer compared with following a proinflammatory diet, according to new findings presented by Char et al at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA3509). The findings suggested that engaging...
The integration of a "best practice advisory" alert into electronic medical record system regarding referrals for fertility preservation programs for young patients with cancer improved referrals to the Oncofertility program at Fox Chase Cancer Center by 450% over 6 months, according to findings...
A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society shows court-documented adverse financial events of prediagnosis bankruptcy, lien, or eviction were associated with increased risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality for multiple cancer types. The findings underscore lasting adverse...
Marital status significantly impacts survival rates for patients with colorectal cancer, according to a new Fox Chase Cancer Center study that was presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 3628). Married individuals were found to have better survival rates than single or separated and...
Frank A. Sinicrope, MD, of Mayo Clinic Rochester, reviews findings from the randomized Alliance A021502/ATOMIC trial, which studied standard chemotherapy alone or combined with atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy for patients with stage III DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colon cancer (LBA1).
Elena Elez, MD, PhD, of Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, presents updated overall survival data as well as progression-free survival data from the BREAKWATER trial of the first-line use of encorafenib, cetuximab, and mFOLFOX6 in BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (LBA3500).
Greater intake of a proinflammatory dietary pattern may be linked to worse overall survival in patients with stage III colon cancer who have undergone curative-intent resection. Sara K. Char, MD, a clinical fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, presented the results of a prospective...
Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, of the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, reviews analyses from the CheckMate 8HW trial, which evaluated nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs chemotherapy or nivolumab monotherapy for microsatellite instability–high/mismatch repair–deficient...
A phase III study has found that a 3-year structured exercise program initiated soon after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival, as well as patient-reported physical functioning and health-related fitness, in patients with stage III and high-risk stage II...
Results from the international phase III ATOMIC study demonstrated that patients with deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer who receive atezolizumab in addition to adjuvant chemotherapy experience a 50% reduction in disease recurrence or death compared with chemotherapy alone. The findings...
Christopher M. Booth, MD, of Queen’s University, reviews findings from the randomized phase III Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) CO.21 (CHALLENGE) trial, which evaluated the impact of a structured exercise program on disease-free survival in patients with stage III or high-risk stage II colon...
Results from an international phase III study showed that the targeted therapy combination of encorafenib and cetuximab with mFOLFOX6 (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) chemotherapy may help patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer live longer. After early results from...