Gastrointestinal Cancer

This slide show features a CT image, and pathology images of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) arising in the stomach using H&E, CD34, and c-Kit staining.

The rates of colon cancer in US adults aged 50 and older have decreased by 3% per year over the last 10 years, with the largest decrease seen in those over the age of 65.

Current evidence suggests that only four DPYD and TYMS variants should make up the panel of genetic biomarkers for testing for toxicity to capecitabine monotherapy, according to the results of a recent study.

The use of full-spectrum colonoscopy significantly decreased the number of adenomas missed during an examination compared with the use of forward-viewing colonoscopy, according to the results of an international, multicenter study.

A recent exploratory study found that GIST cells showed unexpected sensitivity to certain kinds of chemotherapy drugs not typically associated with the diseases’ treatment.

The results of a retrospective study indicated that patients with metastatic GIST who are able to achieve complete macroscopic surgical resection of their disease may be able to achieve long-term survival.

The preoperative diagnosis of combined gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and gastric cancer is often missed, according to the results of a recent study.

Proteomic cyst fluid mucin profiling may serve as an accurate diagnostic tool for the identification of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, according to the results of a recently published study.

Using two new diagnostic panels based on microRNA in whole blood, researchers were able to distinguish patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy control patients.

Molecularly profiling colorectal cancer has opened many potential opportunities for the use of this information in therapeutic decision-making. However, at present, only RAS testing in the metastatic setting has a definitive place in the decision-making paradigm.

In this review we discuss the current treatment options in metastatic colon cancer, with a special focus on biologic agents and how molecular understanding guides treatment decisions.

It was originally hoped that the presence of mutations in KRAS and other related genes would provide an easy answer as to whether to administer anti-EGFR antibody therapy to a given metastatic colorectal cancer patient. However, in nature nothing is simple, and there are a number of issues that practicing clinicians should be made aware of.

Progress in the area of targeted therapies for colorectal cancer has come slowly and with some difficulty.

In this interview, we discuss the current state of pancreatic cancer management, and look toward trials to further define the best course of treatment for this deadly disease.

Patients with heavily pretreated metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors were able to tolerate combined treatment with the pan-deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat and imatinib, according to the results of a small phase I study.

As part of our coverage of the 2014 ASCO GI Symposium, we highlight some of the most interesting trials presented at this year's meeting.

A phase II trial showed that patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors had a marginal response to pazopanib when assigned to the treatment after two or more failed therapies.

The combination of two anticancer vaccines demonstrated improved survival compared to a single vaccine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, a particularly difficult to treat tumor type with few therapy options.

Adding ramucirumab to paclitaxel significantly increased survival in patients with metastatic gastric cancer whose disease had progressed on first-line therapy.

Results of a small study indicate that patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors had increased activity of Src, but unlike in other tumors, it may be associated with longer overall survival.

Completion of 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, rather than time of initiation, was an independent prognostic factor after resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to results taken from the phase III European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer-3.

After 2 decades of disappointing phase III trials and years of single-agent gemcitabine therapy, the pancreatic cancer community is relieved to expand the front-line armamentarium in patients with mPAC. Here we evaluate the current landscape and ask some provocative questions about response rate, dosing, and predictive markers.

All improvements in outcomes for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma have occurred with the use of cytotoxic agents, which will probably remain the mainstay of treatment for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Gemcitabine monotherapy has been the standard of care for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer for several decades. Despite recent advances in various chemotherapeutic regimens and in the development of targeted therapies, metastatic pancreatic cancer remains highly resistant to chemotherapy.

In light of two recent positive clinical trials for advanced pancreatic cancer, we are currently facing an interesting situation that those of us who treat this disease have not had to deal with previously: what to do with this expanding array of choices?

Researchers have developed a new online risk assessment tool that can accurately estimate an individual’s risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Researchers have identified a potential new method for treating pancreatic cancer, using calcium to overload pancreatic cancer cells and, thus, induce cell death in cancerous cells while sparing healthy cells.

In a new study using mice, researchers show that targeting the protein BMI-1 in colorectal cancer can eliminate the self-renewing cell population and lead to long-term inhibition of tumor growth.

A decreased diversity of gut microbiota was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to the results of a new study.

Patients who exhibited certain clusters of symptoms after undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer were at an increased risk for mortality, according to the results of a prospective Swedish cohort study.