Gastrointestinal Cancer

A combination of modified vaccinia Ankara-5T4 (MVA-5T4) and low-dose cyclophosphamide, or either treatment given alone, demonstrated significant survival benefit in a small group of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer compared with no treatment.

The FDA has approved the first cancer therapy biosimilar in the United States, a biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of multiple types of cancer, including colorectal, lung, brain, kidney, and cervical cancers.

Updated results from the KEYNOTE 059 phase II trial showed that pembrolizumab alone or in combination with chemotherapy has promising antitumor activity for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer.

This video reviews some of the pros and cons of long-course and short-course radiation therapy for the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer.

The use of hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy reduced postoperative morbidity in patients with esophageal cancers, according to the results of the MIRO trial.

Significant racial and gender-based disparities exist in outcomes among patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, with black men having the lowest survival rates, according to a new study.

The rate of lymph node positivity in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anus may be overestimated, potentially leading to the overtreatment of patients with chemoradiotherapy.

Mortality from colorectal cancer has decreased since 1970 in young black patients aged 20 to 54, but has increased in white patients since 1995 in those aged 30 to 39 years and since 2005 in those aged 40 to 54 years after decades of decreasing.

Two studies on Lynch syndrome highlight cancer screening and surveillance opportunities.

Results of a phase III trial suggest that the combination of the contemporary oral fluoropyrimidine S-1 and cisplatin offers similar efficacy to 5-flourouracil and cisplatin in patients with chemotherapy-naive diffuse type adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction or stomach.

Germline mutations in pancreatic cancer susceptibility genes were commonly identified in a group of patients with pancreatic cancer who did not report a significant family history of cancer, according to the results of a single-center study.

This video reviews the conflicting data and perspectives regarding the use of radiotherapy in unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Overweight and obesity in adolescence were associated with an increased risk for colon cancer later in life among both men and women, according to the results of a recent study.

This video examines the role of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer, highlighting the resistance to novel treatments in this setting and trials attempting to confront this problem.

Here we review drugs that target the EGFR and VEGF pathways, focusing on patient selection, drug toxicities, and how to choose agents for first-line therapy.

Here we review the evidence for use of biologic agents in the second-line setting and beyond. We also discuss off-label indications for biologics in selected patient populations, as well as biologics currently under development.

This video examines the management of resectable pancreatic cancer, including how this type of disease is best defined, the latest standard of care in the adjuvant setting, and emerging trends in surveillance.

Use of the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab with chemoradiation did not improve survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma compared with chemoradiation alone, according to the results of the phase III RTOG 0436 trial.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is negatively associated with advanced colorectal polyps, and the specific portions of the diet that appear to have the most influence include high intake of fish and fruit and low intake of soft drinks.

Patients with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver derive a significant benefit from selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) combined with chemotherapy if their primary tumor is a right-sided tumor, but not if it is a left-sided primary tumor.

Salvage surgery is associated with prolonged survival in patients with rectal cancer who have lung and liver recurrence after TME.

Long-term survivors of wild-type KRAS colorectal cancer tumors had significantly improved survival with regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Perioperative chemotherapy with a docetaxel-based triplet should be considered the new standard of care for resectable gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma.

Lenvatinib demonstrated noninferiority to sorafenib with regard to overall survival in patients with previously untreated, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Adding PEGPH20 to nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine improved progression-free survival in patients with untreated, metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

In this article we will discuss the definitions of resectability, describe the current diagnostic tests for pancreatic cancer, and review strategies for maximizing treatment outcomes in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

This video highlights results of the SUNSHINE study, which found that high-dose vitamin D added to standard treatment slowed disease progression in newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer.

This video reviews the use of endoscopic therapy for the management of Barrett esophagus and early esophageal cancer.

This video highlights the evolution of stereotactic body radiation therapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

This video examines the treatment of patients with low-lying rectal cancer and explores options such as neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, which could improve the efficacy of surgery.