In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ogura et al found that lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) reduced the risk of lateral local recurrence in patients with lateral nodes ≥ 7 mm undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation or radiation and total mesorectal excision in clinical...
In previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and tumors demonstrating microsatellite instability–high (MSI-high) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), immunotherapy with nivolumab (Opdivo) and low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) produced a durable clinical benefit in the...
In a German phase III noninferiority trial (XELAVIRI) reported by Modest et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, noninferiority of first-line sequential vs combination fluoropyrimidine, irinotecan, and bevacizumab (Avastin) was not demonstrated in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Benefit of...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Guinter et al found that better prediagnosis and postdiagnosis dietary patterns were associated with improved overall and colorectal cancer–specific survival among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Study Details The...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved levoleucovorin (Khapzory) injection, a folate analog, for three indications: rescue after high-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with osteosarcoma; diminishing the toxicity associated with overdosing on folic acid antagonists or...
The combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) could become a new first-line treatment in patients with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H), mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer, following results from the CheckMate-142 trial reported ...
Neoadjuvant treatment with a combination of the immune checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) achieved major pathological responses in mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) early-stage colon cancers, according to results reported by Chalabi et al at the European...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved levoleucovorin (Khapzory) injection, a folate analog, for three indications: rescue after high-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with osteosarcoma; diminishing the toxicity associated with overdosage of folic acid...
In a Dutch study reported in JAMA Surgery, de Neree tot Babberich et al found that postoperative outcomes were better in patients with colon cancer, but not rectal cancer, detected vs not detected through the national fecal immunochemical test–based screening program. Study ...
Analysis of male- and female-derived tumor samples revealed differences in prognostic biomarkers, genes that drive cancer, and in regulation of key pathways that may predict responses to treatment, according to results published in two studies in Cancer Research, one by Li et al and the other...
In the Chinese phase III TAILOR trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Qin et al found that adding the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab to FOLFOX4 (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin) improved progression-free survival in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Study...
In a French phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Stefano Kim, MD, of the Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Besancon, and colleagues found that treatment with docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) was active in patients with metastatic or unresectable locally...
Although the optimal approach to maintenance is not definitive in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have undergone chemotherapy-based induction with anti–endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents, the phase II VALENTINO trial showed that anti-EGFR maintenance therapy with...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, ten Broeke et al found that patients with Lynch syndrome associated with PMS2 mutation are at increased risk of colorectal and endometrial cancers but not other cancers associated with the syndrome. As noted by the investigators, Lynch...
Blood tests could predict how long it takes until colorectal cancer becomes resistant to treatment based on the same principle used in forecasting the weather, a new study by Khan et al in Cancer Discovery has found. The liquid biopsies could also predict patients that are unlikely to initially...
On July 10, 2018, ipilimumab (Yervoy) was granted accelerated approval for use in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo) for the treatment of patients at least 12 years of age with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer progressing...
According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States, with over 97,000 new cases expected this year, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death, with over 50,000 deaths predicted in...
A study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute by Loree and colleagues found that ERBB2/ERBB3 mutations in colorectal cancer are associated with microsatellite instability and PIK3CA mutation. Kanwal Raghav, MD, MBBS, of the Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for encorafenib (Braftovi) in combination with binimetinib (Mektovi) and cetuximab (Erbitux) for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), as detected by...
IN A STUDY reported in JAMA Oncology, Erin L. Van Blarigan, ScD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues found that adherence to American Cancer Society (ACS) nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors was associated with improved survival among patients ...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery by Margonis and colleagues, the presence of a BRAF V600E mutation was associated with a higher risk of recurrence and poorer overall survival among patients undergoing surgical resection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Matthew J. Weiss, MD, of the...
Patients with colorectal cancer tumors on the right side may have poorer 5-year survival rates than those whose tumors are located on the left side. However, a new large-scale retrospective study is the first to demonstrate a potential improvement of these outcomes. Study results show that nearly...
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) has estimated that in developed countries, about 35% of breast cancers and 45% of colorectal cancers could be prevented with a better adherence to nutritional recommendations. A large prospective study evaluating...
Mailing colorectal cancer screening tests to patients insured by Medicaid increased screening rates for this population, reported researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. In collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Health Department in...
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death for Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders in the United States. However, their cancer burden is less than that of non-Hispanic whites and especially non-Hispanic blacks, who bear the most disproportionate share of the...
In a French phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kim et al found that treatment with docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) was active in patients with metastatic or unresectable locally recurrent anal squamous cell carcinoma. Study Details The multicenter study included 66...
On July 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) plus low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal...
When it comes to how much end-of-life care a patient with cancer receives, geography may, indeed, be destiny, according to new research led by Harvard Medical School that found differences in this type of cancer care across different parts of the country. The findings, published by Keating et al...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) plus low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR)...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, McCullough et al found reduced risk for colorectal cancer with increasing levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D). Study Details The study was an international pooling project using participant-level data from 17...
The likelihood of severe complications after emergency colon cancer surgery is significantly higher over the weekend, according to a study published by Huijts et al in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The research was led by Perla Marang-van de Mheen, PhD, of the...
New research led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators suggests that patients treated for nonmetastatic colon cancer may sharply reduce the risk that the disease will return by following a diet low in carbohydrates and other foods that raise insulin levels. In a study published by...
Building on the efficacy of colorectal cancer screening, the American Medical Association (AMA) endorsed a plan at its Annual Meeting to work with physicians and payers to make the screening more available and affordable. Challenges with insurance coverage remain a barrier to colorectal cancer...
It is widely acknowledged that the costs of cancer care are much higher in the United States than in Canada, with outcomes that are thought to be similar. A new study presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting supports that view, by documenting and quantifying the differences in health-care costs...
With a growing emphasis on value in cancer care, some types of resource-intensive therapies may need to be reconsidered. One such treatment may be hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which showed no benefit during surgery for colorectal cancer confined to the peritoneum in the PRODIGE 7...
A national retrospective study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found no association between intensity of posttreatment surveillance and detection of recurrence or overall survival (OS) in patients with stage I, II, or III colorectal cancer. Published by...
Following guidelines for proper nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying physically active may improve survival among patients treated for colon cancer, according to the results of a study with nearly 1,000 patients followed for a median of 7 years.1 “The study suggests that if...
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance has opened its third annual international survey of young-onset colorectal cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, with the intent of learning about and tracking the medical and psychosocial experiences of this often overlooked group, which comprises 11% of...
As reported in The Lancet by Pagès et al, an international collaboration has validated the consensus Immunoscore for colon cancer as a predictive tool for recurrence of disease. Study Details An international consortium of 14 centers in 13 countries, led by the Society for Immunotherapy of ...
Howard S. Hochster, MD, of Rutgers-Cancer Institute of New Jersey, discusses study findings on irinotecan and cetuximab vs irinotecan, cetuximab, and ramucirumab as second-line therapy of advanced colorectal cancer following oxaliplatin and bevacizumab-based therapy (Abstract 3504).
Michael J. Overman, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and François Quenet, MD, of the Institut Régional du Cancer de Montpellier, discuss phase III study findings on hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis (Abstract LBA3503).
A randomized phase III clinical trial showed that people with advanced colorectal cancer may not need a frequently considered component of treatment—heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdomen during surgery. There was no difference in survival between patients with metastases in the abdomen ...
A genomic study of more than 15,000 tumor samples showed that people who have tumors with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H)—a genomic marker associated with a large number of genetic mutations in the tumor—are more likely to have Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that...
An updated American Cancer Society guideline now says colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 45 for people at average risk, based in part on data showing rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in young and middle-aged populations. The updated recommendations were published by Wolf et al ...
In a study in the PETACC-8 trial population reported in JAMA Oncology, Julien Taieb, MD, PhD, of the Université Paris Descartes, and colleagues found that the risk of recurrence in patients with stage III colon cancer differed for the primary tumor location according to RAS- and BRAF-mutation...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Margonis et al found that presence of a BRAF V600E mutation was associated with higher risk of recurrence and poorer overall survival among patients undergoing surgical resection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Study Details The cohort study...
In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) covering 8 tumor types. Guidelines are now published for more than 60 tumor types and topics. Some of the key updates were presented at NCCN’s 23rd...
Surgical oncologists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine may have developed an improved scoring system for predicting survival in people with colorectal cancers that have metastasized to the liver. According to the researchers, the system, called the Genetic and Morphological...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Loree et al found that ERBB2/ERBB3 mutations in colorectal cancer are associated with microsatellite instability and PIK3CA mutation. Study Details The study involved retrospective analysis of 419 patients from The University of ...
In a propensity-score matching analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Polanco et al found that adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a survival benefit vs observation among patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent resection after pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant ...