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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 ...
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 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...
New research revealed that depression can impact surgical outcomes, making it more difficult for patients to recover from surgery, thus leading to higher postoperative costs as well. In patients with gastrointestinal cancers and depression who were undergoing surgery specifically, antidepressants...
Studies show that individuals diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have approximately a twofold increased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with the general population. A study investigating treatment with autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting the CD19 antigen in a...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Germani et al identified the impact of HER2 status in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving chemotherapy plus either bevacizumab or anti-EGFR agents. Study Details The study involved data from 1,604 patients with...
In a Scandinavian trial (ALASCCA) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Martling et al found that low-dose aspirin reduced the risk of disease recurrence vs placebo in patients with PI3K-altered localized colorectal cancer. Study Details In the double-blind trial, patients with stage I...
A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of providing personalized risk information to patients and their providers about the patient’s risk for advanced colorectal neoplasia has found no difference in screening uptake with either the personalized risk messages or provider...
In a Chinese single-center phase II trial (SPRING-01) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Tian et al found that the addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to chemotherapy following short-course radiotherapy as part of total neoadjuvant treatment significantly improved the pathologic complete...
In an analysis from the phase III CodeBreaK 300 study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Modest et al found that sotorasib and panitumumab were associated with better patient-reported outcomes (PROs) than standard of care (SOC) with trifluridine plus tipiracil or regorafenib in patients with KRAS...
In a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, Reizner et al highlighted bias-minimized insights into the associations between autoimmune diseases, such as celiac disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes, and the risk of...
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist colonoscopies may be linked to a reduction in the ability of endoscopists to detect adenomas in the colon without AI assistance, according to a paper published by Budzyń et al in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Colonoscopy...
In a Korean retrospective study reported in JAMA Network Open, Bong et al found that the addition of oxaliplatin to fluoropyrimidine-based adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with an overall survival benefit in patients with stage III colorectal cancer aged ≤ 70 years but not in those aged > 70 ...
It has been widely reported that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 since the mid-1990s, with a consistent annual increase of 2% among adults aged 20 to 39. This increase prompted the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2018, and the United States...
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 (CRC) better identified patients who are appropriate candidates for metastasis-directed therapy. Reference Dasari NA, Nakamura Y, Sorscher S, et al: Clinical utility of including circulating tumor DNA monitoring in standard of care colorectal cancer surveillance. ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2025. Abstract 2O.
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 (MSI-H/dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (Abstract 3501).
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 cancer (Abstract LBA3510).
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...
Universal germline testing is essential for identifying hereditary cancer risk, especially for patients with young-onset colorectal cancer who were diagnosed before the age of 50. However, the implementation of universal germline testing has been hampered by increasing demand and limited physician...
An evaluation by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) colorectal cancer screening practices for inmates and their clinical follow-up for positive screenings found several serious operational and managerial deficiencies...
In a UK phase II trial (PLATO-ACT4) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gilbert et al evaluated whether short-term results showed good complete response rates with both standard-dose and reduced-dose chemoradiotherapy in patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anus. Study Details In the ...
Total neoadjuvant therapy of intensified chemoradiotherapy was shown to be less effective for treating patients with rectal cancer with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than those with sporadic rectal cancer, according to study findings presented during Digestive Disease Week 2025. However, there...
On May 15, 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 (SCAC)....
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising biomarker in colorectal cancer, offering dynamic insight into disease burden and recurrence risk. However, questions remain about its clinical utility and optimal application, as well as its equitable access across practice settings. At the...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Today, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. During the NCCN’s 30th Annual...