Colorectal Cancer
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October 20th 2025
With a median follow-up of 50.1 months, nivolumab plus ipilimumab achieved a median PFS of not reached compared with 60.8 months with nivolumab monotherapy in this CRC population.
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Important Advances in the Management of Advanced Colorectal Cancer
November 2nd 2005Colorectal cancer is a worldwide public health problem, with nearly 800,000new cases diagnosed each year resulting in approximately 500,000deaths. In the United States, it is the second leading cause of cancer mortality,and nearly 60,000 deaths will be attributed to this disease in 2005. Whendiagnosed as advanced, metastatic disease, colorectal cancer is traditionally associatedwith a poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates in the range of 5% to 8%. Thissurvival rate has remained unchanged over the past 35 to 40 years. However, duringthe past 5 years, significant advances have been made in treatment options so thatimprovements in 2-year survival are now being reported, with median survival ratesin the 21- to 24-month range in patients with metastatic disease.
Novel Vaccines for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancers
November 1st 2005Continuing advances in immunology and molecular biology duringthe past several decades have provided optimism that immunomodulatorystrategies may be clinically useful in patients with cancer.Key advances have included: (1) recognition of the critical role of theantigen-presenting cell and greatly improved understanding of antigenprocessing and presentation, including the molecular interactionsbetween HLA molecules and antigenic epitopes on the antigen-processingcell and the receptors on T cells, and (2) the roles ofcostimulatory molecules such as B7.1, ICAM-1, and LFA-3 in the inductionand maintenance of an immune response. In addition, newtechniques have allowed us to identify immunogenic antigenic determinants,alter their binding affinities, and evaluate the overall successof the intervention through both in vivo and in vitro assays.Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is overexpressed in a large numberof gastrointestinal, lung, and breast cancers. Clinical trials have establishedtreatment protocols using viral vectors to immunize patients toCEA without producing deleterious autoimmune phenomena. By combiningvarious vectors to include MUC-1 and/or CEA plus costimulatorymolecules in a prime-and-boost regimen, we are beginning to see signsthat this intervention can not only produce changes in immune functionbut also potentially improve clinical outcomes. Phase III studies totest these hypotheses are under way.
FOLFOX4 + Avastin Ups Survival in Colorectal Ca
October 1st 2005ORLANDO-Adding high-dose bevacizumab (Avastin) to FOLFOX4 improves overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and response in previously treated patients who have advanced colorectal cancer, Bruce J. Giantonio, MD, reported at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (abstract 2). Dr. Giantonio, of the University of Pennsylvania, presented results of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) E3200 study.
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Is There One Standard Approach?
August 1st 2005Despite enormous advances in the treatment of colorectal cancer,there is no single standard treatment approach for all patients. However,there are general principles of management that can be used toguide therapy. The clinician who fails to individualize therapy forcolorectal cancer is likely not taking full advantage of all therapeuticoptions available. Reviewing key clinical evidence that can help informdecision-making, this article addresses important questions in colorectalcancer management, including: Should bevacizumab (Avastin) be acomponent of most patients’ first-line treatment? Is there a role forcontinuing bevacizumab in subsequent regimens? Is there a role forcetuximab (Erbitux) in standard first-line chemotherapy? Are therepractices in colorectal cancer that have become widely accepted withoutdirect supportive data?
