Colorectal Cancer

A study published in Lancet Oncology shows that an AS04-adjuvanted HPV 16 and HPV 18 vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals can offer protection against anal cancer.

Scientists at Jennerex, Inc. in San Francisco, and collaborators from University of Pennsylvania and the University of Ottawa in Canada have just engineered a poxvirus, JX-594, to selectively replicate in tumor cells that have an activated EGFR/ Ras pathway, but not in normal tissue.

Results of a Phase I study of the novel Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib (ABT-888) in solid tumors and lymphoma have just been published in Cancer Research (doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-11-1227).

A fairly simple and inexpensive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) that detects blood cells in a person's stool sample has been found to be an effective way to screen for colon cancer. The prospective, 2796 asymptomatic participants from Taiwan participated in the study that was published only on August 2, 2011 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (DOI:10.1503/cmaj.101248).

Progress in the care of mCRC has occurred relatively rapidly, but current methods of management have placed a significant economic burden on the healthcare system.

Advances in the multidisciplinary management of metastatic colorectal cancer have improved survival considerably, and nurses are key to optimal patient care.

This review highlights the current status of the research in targeting the insulin growth factor pathway with a specific focus on gastrointestinal cancers.

We review the evidence implicating a strong association between chronic inflammation and cancer, with an emphasis on colorectal and lung cancer.

“Hallmarks of Cancer”, published in the journal Cell in 2000 provided a conceptual framework for the evolution of cancer as well as an all-encompassing review of the cancer field to date. The article is updated in the March 4th, 2011 issue of Cell.

In July1999, I learned I was pregnant with my son. My sister was pregnant, too, and due to deliver in the fall. I was excited to share my happy news. But my father, then 65, had news of his own: he had been diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer.

A model example of personalized cancer therapy that has demonstrated improved patient outcomes is the use of anti-HER2 treatment. Breast cancer patients screened via molecular diagnostics and identified as having amplification of the HER2 gene generally have a poorer prognosis, but show better responses to anti-HER2 treatment.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the US, and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age.

The use of oral bisphosphonates, typically used to treat osteoporosis and bone metastases in breast cancer, has recently been found to reduce breast cancer risk.

“How long have I had this cancer, Doctor?” This is a question that patients frequently ask their oncologist.

In their article, Patrone et al utilize a modified version of Collins’ law to estimate the age of breast, lung, and colorectal cancers. Collins’ law, which states that the period of risk for recurrence of a tumor is equal to the age of the patient at diagnosis plus 9 months, has been applied primarily to pediatric tumors, in particular embryonal tumors.[1,2] The results from the application of Collins’ law to these tumors have been reasonable, although exceptions have been reported and the law is not applicable to all cancers.[3,4] Its utilization in adults in the manner used in this paper is therefore unique.

The authors of “How Long Have I Had My Cancer, Doctor?” have addressed a question often contemplated by patients when they receive a diagnosis of cancer.

The choices that patients and clinicians make when dealing with cancer are dictated by time, whether they are arranging for screening mammography and colonoscopy, compiling treatment plans, or determining follow-up intervals and the age of freedom from follow-up.

Despite recommendations against using EGFR inhibitors in the presence of KRAS mutations, cetuximab therapy may be enhanced by the presence of the p.G13D KRAS mutation.

Like the protective plastic cap at the ends of shoelaces that prevent them from unraveling, telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes. These small strips of DNA prevent chromosome tips from fraying during cell division. But as the cells divide, the telomeres shorten and the cells age. Shortened telomeres have been linked to an increased risk of cancer development. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., wanted to see if telomere shortening was linked to colon cancer development at a younger age.

Selected rectal cancer patients who undergo optimal surgery with TME can still benefit from short-term preoperative radiation therapy.

CT colonography is feasible in remote health centers where optimal colonoscopy is limited, according to a study from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The search for a magic bullet against cancer historically has glowed bright then dimmed, depending on the stage of discovery. Developments surrounding monoclonal antibodies and angiogenesis inhibitors have followed this cycle, as exuberance for their potential has bowed to the nuances that underlie the complex mechanisms on which they depend.

Take-home message from the current data is the importance of exposing patients to all potentially active agents.

A growing body of evidence supports the use of CT colonography for colon cancer screening, and a U.S. panel should reverse its decision to not endorse the procedure, according to the CT Colonography Coalition.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital has established the Philip A. Salem, MD, Chair in Cancer Research.

Male sex, but not race, predicted colon polyp prevalence, suggesting that African Americans may not benefi t from earlier screening.

Despite efforts by the manufacturer to reduce the cost of Avastin, the clinical effectiveness agency for England and Wales says that it will not recommend the drug for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

Primary surgery with an abdominoperineal resection (APR) was historically the standard of care for localized anal squamous cell carcinoma. APR achieved 40%-70% survival rates at five years, with local failures from 27%-47%.[1,2] With modern technology and radiation dose escalation, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) studies have improved complete response rates, decreased morbidity, and improved sphincter preservation rates. Nigro et al added 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and mitomycin C (MMC) to concurrent EBRT [3,4] and impressive complete response rates inspired other groups to investigate the role of chemotherapy as a component of sphincter-preserving therapy. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research (UKCCCR) studies reported improved local control and colostomy-free survival when chemotherapy (5FU/MMC) was administered in conjunction with radiation.[5,6] The five-year survival rate for patients receiving standard chemoradiation approaches 70%; however, 20%-40% experience grade 3-4 toxicity, and administration with MMC causes profound hematologic toxicity.

The treatment of cancer of the anal canal has changed significantly over the past several decades. Although the abdominoperineal resection (APR) was the historical standard of care, a therapeutic paradigm shift occurred with the seminal work of Nigro, who reported that anal canal cancer could be treated with definitive chemoradiation, with APR reserved for salvage therapy only. This remains an attractive approach for patients and physicians alike and the standard of care in this disease. Now, nearly four decades later, a similar approach continues to be utilized, albeit with higher radiation doses; however, this strategy remains fraught with considerable treatment-related morbidities. With the advent of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), many oncologists are beginning to utilize this technology in the treatment of anal cancer in order to decrease these toxicities while maintaining similar treatment efficacy. This article reviews the relevant literature leading up to the modern treatment of anal canal cancer, and discusses IMRT-related toxicity and disease-related outcomes in the context of outcomes of conventionally treated anal cancer.

Investigators at Memorial-Sloan Kettering plan to tease out exactly how much vitamin D is enough to improve survival prospects.