Colorectal Cancer Screening With Fecal Immunochemical Testing, Sigmoidoscopy, or Colonoscopy for Patients Aged 50 to 79 Years Old
As reported in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) by Helsingen et al, a clinical practice guideline on colorectal cancer screening published as a BMJ Rapid Recommendations guideline indicates that previously unscreened individuals aged 50 to 79 years old with 15-year colorectal cancer risk of ≥ 3%...
Parenchymal-Sparing Hepatectomy for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
In a meta-analysis published by Deng et al in Cancer Medicine, researchers found parenchymal-sparing hepatectomy was associated with better perioperative outcomes vs extended hepatectomy for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases, without compromising long-term oncologic outcomes. The...
Effect of Tumor Sidedness and Molecular Alterations on Outcomes in Patients With RAS/BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Morano et al assessed prognostic/predictive role of tumor sidedness and presence of uncommon molecular alterations in anti-EGFR treatment primary resistance in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Study Details The...
Managing Rectal Cancer: Better Outcomes Now, but Still a Challenging Clinical Setting
The management of rectal cancer has evolved over the past decades, yielding several major practice changes that have substantially improved outcomes. However, rectal cancer treatment remains challenging and even with improved outcomes can result in life-altering morbidity. To shed light on the...
ESMO 2019: Interim Analysis of the BEACON CRC Trial
In an interim analysis of the phase III BEACON CRC trial reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA32) and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, and colleagues found improved overall survival and overall response rate in...
Reduced Risk of Recurrence and Improved Long-Term Outcome With Complete Mesocolic Excision in Right-Sided Colon Cancer
In a Danish population-based cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bertelesen et al found that complete mesocolic lymph node excision was associated with reduced risk of recurrence vs noncomplete excision approaches among patients with stage I to III right-sided colon adenocarcinomas....
ESMO 2019: ctDNA as a Marker for Disease-Free Survival With Oxaliplatin Treatment in Stage III Colon Cancer
Patients with advanced colon cancer and plasma samples containing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) were less likely to achieve 2-year disease-free survival with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant treatment than patients with ctDNA-negative samples, according to findings presented at the European Society for...
AACR Disparities: Uninsured/Underinsured, Lower-Income, and/or Minority Patients More Likely to Receive Cancer Diagnosis After ED Visit
Medicare patients from lower socioeconomic groups and several ethnic minority groups were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer following an emergency department visit, according to results of a study presented at the 12th American Association for Cancer Research Conference on The Science of...
AACR Disparities: Mortality Rate for Colorectal Cancer Higher for Blacks Than for Whites in Major U.S. Cities
According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer deaths. This year, it is expected that more than 51,000 people will die of the malignancy....
FDA Approves Cologuard for Persons Aged 45 and Older at Average Risk for Colorectal Cancer
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test Cologuard for eligible average-risk individuals aged 45 years and older, expanding on its previous indication for those aged 50 years and older. Cologuard is a stool DNA-based colorectal...
Alejandra Méndez Romero, MD, PhD, on Liver Metastases: Dutch-Belgian Registry of Stereotactic Body Radiation
Alejandra Méndez Romero, MD, PhD, of Erasmus University Medical Center, discusses findings that show high local control rates with stereotactic body radiation for patients in this large published series, most of whom had colorectal cancer (Abstract 230).
Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Carrying Class 3 BRAF Mutations May Respond to Anti-EGFR Therapy
Although between 8% and 12% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer harbor a BRAF gene mutation, not all non-V600 BRAF alterations respond to EGFR antibody treatment, according to findings from a study by Yaeger et al published in Clinical Cancer Research. The study investigated whether...
Addition of Selective Internal Radiotherapy to Chemotherapy May Improve Resectability of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
In a report published by Garlipp et al in the British Journal of Surgery, the addition of selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) to modified FOLFOX6-based chemotherapy (mFOLFOX6; oxaliplatin/leucovorin/fluorouracil) improved the resectability of initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver...
Physical Activity Level and Outcomes in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
A prospective cohort study within the phase III Cancer and Leukemia Group B (Alliance)/SWOG 80405 trial found that increased physical activity at baseline was associated with nonsignificant improvement in overall survival, a significant improvement in progression-free survival, and a reduced risk...
FDA Pipeline: Fast Track Designation in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and AML, Plus Multiple Breakthrough Designations
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to magrolimab in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The agency also granted Breakthrough Therapy designations in lung cancer and desmoid tumors, as well as Breakthrough Device designations...
Text Instructions and Reminders May Improve Colonoscopy Adherence Rates
Having text message conversations with patients 1 week before they are scheduled for a colonoscopy decreased “no-show” rates, according to a recent study published by Mahmud et al in Health Education & Behavior. Through sending reminders and instruction, the team increased the rate of...
Oral Antibiotics and Risk of Colon or Rectal Cancer
In an extensive data mining analysis of British medical records, researchers found that taking even a single course of antibiotics might boost—albeit slightly—the risk of developing colon cancer, but not rectal cancer, a decade later. The findings, reported by Zhang et al in Gut,...
Does Exercise Improve Outcomes in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer?
Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who engaged in moderate exercise while undergoing chemotherapy tended to have delayed progression of their disease and fewer severe side effects from treatment, according to the results of a new study published by Guercio et al in the Journal of Clinical...
FDA Approves Entrectinib for NTRK-Fusion Cancers, ROS1-Positive NSCLC
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for adult and adolescent patients whose cancers have an NTRK (neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase) genetic fusion and for whom there are no effective treatments. Entrectinib was also...
Regorafenib Dose-Escalation Strategy vs Standard Dosing in Colorectal Cancer
In the phase II ReDOS trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, and colleagues found that a regorafenib dose-escalation strategy compared favorably with standard dosing in regard to toxicity profile and activity in patients with refractory advanced colorectal cancer. Study...
BEACON CRC: Encorafenib/Binimetinib/Cetuximab Improves Survival in BRAF V600E–Mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The three-drug combination of encorafenib (a BRAF inhibitor), binimetinib (a MEK inhibitor), and cetuximab (an EGFR inhibitor) significantly improved overall survival in patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the results of the phase III BEACON CRC clinical trial....
Abdominal Fat and Mortality in Patients With Colorectal Cancer
For patients with colorectal cancer, new research shows a clearer connection than previously known between fat deposits in certain areas of the body and higher rates of death from all causes within 7 years of cancer diagnosis. These findings were published by Brown et al in the Journal of the...
FDA Approves Bevacizumab Biosimilar for Five Cancer Types
ON JUNE 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab-bvzr (Zirabev), a biosimilar to bevacizumab (Avastin), for the treatment of five types of cancer: metastatic colorectal cancer; unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung...
Becoming Acquainted With Cancer
Just weeks after my wedding in late summer of 2017, I had a sudden bout of abdominal pain so severe that it sent me to the emergency room. I was just 29 years old and in great physical shape. In the emergency room, a physician examined me and was about to release me with a prescription for a...
Features on Restaging MRI Associated With Local Recurrence After Neoadjuvant Treatment in Low Rectal Cancer
In a retrospective analysis reported in JAMA Surgery, Ogura et al found that persistently enlarged nodes in the internal iliac compartment on restaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after neoadjuvant chemoradiation or radiation therapy for low rectal cancer were associated with high risk of...
Rates of Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis in Adults Younger Than Age 50
A new study published by Virostko et al in Cancer found that the proportion of adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer under age 50 in the United States has continued to increase over the past decade, and younger adults are diagnosed with more advanced disease. To determine recent trends in...
Does the Association Between Diet and Colonic Mucosa–Associated Microbiota Affect Cancer Risk?
A report published by Liu et al in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found an association between diet quality and microbiome composition in human colonic mucosa. The researchers found that a high-quality diet is linked to more potentially beneficial bacteria, whereas a...
Maintenance Panitumumab vs Panitumumab/Fluorouracil/Leucovorin in RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In an Italian phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Pietrantonio et al found that maintenance panitumumab alone was inferior in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to maintenance panitumumab plus fluorouracil/leucovorin in RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Study Details ...
Rise in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Not Fully Aligned With Screening Trends
A new study finds that trends in colonoscopy rates did not fully align with recent increases in colorectal cancer incidence in younger adults. The findings were published by Fedewa et al in the Journal of Medical Screening. Colorectal cancer incidence rates are declining in adults older than...
ReDOS: Regorafenib Dose-Escalation Strategy in Refractory Advanced Colorectal Cancer
In the phase II ReDOS trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bekaii-Saab et al found that a regorafenib dose-escalation strategy compared favorably with standard dosing in regard to toxicity profile and activity in patients with refractory advanced colorectal cancer. Study...
Henry T. Lynch, MD, Trailblazer in Hereditary Cancers, Dies at 91
Henry T. Lynch, MD, widely known as “the father of cancer genetics,” had an early life that could have been lifted from the pages of a Louis L’Amour novel. He dropped out of high school and using a falsified birth certificate joined the U.S. Navy at 16 years old, serving as a gunner on a marine...
ESMO World GI 2019: BEACON CRC: Encorafenib/Binimetinib/Cetuximab Improves Survival in BRAF V600E–Mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The three-drug combination of encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab significantly improved overall survival in patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, according to results of the phase III BEACON CRC clinical trial. These findings were presented by Kopetz et al at the European...
ESMO World GI 2019: REARRANGE Trial Examines Flexible Regorafenib Dosing in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Regorafenib is often administered to patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. However, some of the adverse events related to the use of this drug often limit its use in clinical practice. A study reported by Argilés et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
Targeting FOLFOXIRI Plus Bevacizumab to a Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Subset
In a population of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer deemed to be at high risk by the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), first-line treatment with FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab improved progression-free survival by about 3 months, compared with modified FOLFOX plus bevacizumab,...
IDEA Collaboration Turns to Duration of Adjuvant Treatment in Stage II Colon Cancer
The findings of the landmark IDEA trial in stage III colorectal cancer, presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting and subsequently published in The New England Journal of Medicine,1 were upheld by a subsequent analysis by the same group, the International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant...
FDA Approves Bevacizumab Biosimilar for Five Cancer Types
On June 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab-bvzr (Zirabev), a biosimilar to bevacizumab (Avastin), for the treatment of five types of cancer: metastatic colorectal cancer; unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell ...
Solving the Mystery of Why Colorectal Cancer Is on the Rise in Young Adults
Excluding skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent and lethal cancer among both men and women in the United States.1 Although the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age—more than 90% of cases occur in people aged 50 or older2—recent research shows that the...
AACR Environmental Carcinogenesis: Lowering Exposure to Nitrates in Drinking Water May Reduce U.S. Cancer Cases
Nitrate levels in water resources have increased in many areas of the world, largely due to the use of inorganic fertilizer and animal manure in agricultural areas. Research has shown that the risk of specific cancers and birth defects may be increased when nitrate is ingested under conditions that ...
Colorectal Cancer Alliance Opens 2019 Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survey
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is calling on allies to participate in its 2019 Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survey. The survey enables the Alliance to learn about and track the self-reported medical, psychosocial, and quality-of-life experiences of patients, survivors, and...
FDA Pipeline: Designations and Reviews in Myelofibrosis, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Biliary Tract Cancer, and T-Cell Receptor Therapy
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for momelotinib in myelofibrosis, granted Priority Review to a biologics license application for luspatercept in myelodyslastic syndromes and beta-thalassemia, granted Orphan Drug designation for a new chemical...
2019 ASCO: Addition of Veliparib to Total Neoadjuvant Therapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Results from an experimental arm of the phase II NRG-GI002 trial using veliparib, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, as part of total neoadjuvant therapy (induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy and surgery) in patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma were...
Åsmund A. Fretland, MD, on Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases: Laparoscopic vs Open Resection
Åsmund A. Fretland, MD, of Oslo University Hospital, discusses clinical trial findings on survival outcomes after laparoscopic vs open resection for colorectal liver metastases. The study he conducted with his team showed that the laparoscopic procedure did not jeopardize long-term survival (Abstract LBA3516).
Medicaid Expansion and Colorectal Cancer Screening
A new study examining Medicaid expansion and cancer screening found that the five states and District of Columbia that first adopted Medicaid expansion saw larger increases in colorectal cancer screening than states that did not expand Medicaid. The study—published by Fedewa et al in...
Javier Sastre, MD, PhD, on Colorectal Cancer: Bevacizumab and FOLFOXIRI in Metastatic Disease
Javier Sastre, MD, PhD, of Hospital Clinico San Carlos, discusses phase III findings on the assessment of circulating tumor cells as a prognostic factor and FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab combination outcomes for patients with poor-prognosis colorectal cancer (Abstract 3507).
Thomas J. George, MD, on Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Total Neoadjuvant Therapy
Thomas J. George, MD, of NRG Oncology and The University of Florida Health Cancer Center, discusses the initial phase II results from a clinical trial using total neoadjuvant therapy (including veliparib and chemoradiation treatment) for locally advanced rectal cancer (Abstract 3505).
2019 ASCO: OSLO-COMET: Laparoscopic vs Open Resection for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
The randomized Norwegian OSLO-COMET trial found that laparoscopic surgery did not change chances of survival compared to open resection to remove metastases that had spread to the liver in patients with colorectal cancer. Overall, patients lived more than 6.5 years after surgery, regardless of...
Factors Associated With Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Survivors of Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer survivors’ risk for heart attack—five times that of the average person—may be linked to the amount of fat stored within the abdomen and abdominal muscles, not to body mass index (BMI), according to a new study of 2,800 colon cancer survivor health outcomes...
ASCO Guideline Recommends Shorter-Course Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Some Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer
In a clinical practice guideline released April 15, an ASCO Expert Panel outlined the latest recommendations for the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy with a fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin for patients with completely resected stage III colon cancer.1 New recommendations were based on the results ...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: 2019 Updates
In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), covering eight tumor types. NCCN Guidelines are now published for more than 70 tumor types and topics. Some of the key updates for 2019 were presented...
Tumor Mutational Burden as a Marker of Response to Immunotherapy in MSI-High Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Foundational research recently published by Schrock et al in Annals of Oncology may help patients with microsatellite instability (MSI)-high metastatic colorectal cancer decide whether to choose immunotherapy or chemotherapy as their first treatment option. “Immunotherapy is the new,...
