Colorectal Cancer

The FDA has approved the noninvasive stool-based DNA test Cologuard for the detection of colorectal cancer or cancer precursors in asymptomatic patients at average risk.

There is a tension in the air these days when it comes to the manner in which evidence-based oncology research should be conducted in this revolutionary era, and that tension is evident on the pages of peer-reviewed articles describing novel findings in clinical molecular oncology, in editorials discussing these studies, and in commentaries related to future approaches to discovery.

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, discusses an analysis of two targeted drugs for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Paulo Marcelo Hoff, MD, PhD, FACP, University of São Paulo, Brazil, discusses a meta-analysis of randomized trials that examined the effect of chemotherapy delivered until progression versus complete stop on the overall survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Marwan G. Fakih, MD, professor, director, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, City of Hope, discusses recent advances in liver-directed therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Dirk Arnold, MD, director, Department of Medical Oncology, Tumour Biology Centre, Freiburg, Germany, discusses a phase III trial looking at options for maintenance therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Takayuki Yoshino, MD, medical oncologist, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan, discusses the safety profile of TAS-102 as seen in a phase III study of the agent versus placebo, with best supportive care, in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) refractory to standard therapies.

A head-to-head comparison of cetuximab and bevacizumab in a phase III trial that was nearly 10 years in the making showed equivalence for chemotherapy plus either agent in terms of OS, PFS, and response rates for patients with certain previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancers.

Initial treatment with surgical resection of the primary tumor followed by systemic treatment yielded a 4.7-month OS benefit compared with the same treatments administered in the reverse order in patients with mCRC receiving palliative care.

Alan P. Venook, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses implications from the CALGB/SWOG 80405 trial on the targeted therapies administered in colorectal cancer.