Colorectal Cancer

The prognosis for patients with colorectal cancer has benefited greatly from the advent of advances in chemotherapy and new agents, with nearly threefourths of stage I patients surviving for at least 5 years after diagnosis.

Researchers have identified a potential predictive marker for survival in cases of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with bevacizumab (Avastin), suggesting that patients who have the appropriate biomarker could experience a greater benefit when given the drug, whereas others who do not express the biomarker could be spared from receiving unnecessary therapy.

Randall F. Holcombe, MD, from the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center, discusses the oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Researchers have identified a potential predictive marker for survival in cases of metastatic colorectal cancer treated with bevacizumab.

Computer-aided computed tomographic colonography that does not require a laxative preparation nearly rivals conventional optical colonoscopy for identifying asymptomatic adults with adenomas.

Nancy L. Lewis, MD, from the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, discusses the phase III CORRECT trial that examined the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor regorafenib.

Patients 75 years of age or older with stage III colon cancer may expect a survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy that rivals that previously reported in younger patients.

Patients with heavily pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer who received regorafenib experienced a sustained survival benefit across all prespecified subgroups.

The FDA has approved regorafenib, an oral multikinase inhibitor, to treat patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease has progressed after prior therapy.

Colonoscopy is effective for the prevention of colorectal cancer deaths, according to the results of a large, population-based, case-control study.

The oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib extended OS in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and improved PFS in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

The FDA announced that aflibercept has been approved to treat metastatic colorectal cancer when given in combination with the FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimen.

The phase III VELOUR trial demonstrated that the addition of aflibercept to FOLFIRI improved overall survival compared with placebo plus FOLFIRI in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Colon cancer is equally as likely as breast and ovarian cancer to be hereditary (approximately 10% of cases, overall) and there are many different genes responsible for these cases.

The FDA has approved cetuximab in combination with the FOLFIRI regimen as a first-line treatment for patients with mCRC who express EGFR and wild-type KRAS mutations.

Dr. Dirk Arnold, from the University Cancer Center Hamburg, Germany, on Second-Line Bevacizumab Continuation Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Marie Wood, from the University of Vermont, on Family Histories and Genetic Counseling for Breast and Colorectal Cancers.

Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer improved survival among patients whose disease had progressed after first-line combination therapy with bevacizumab.

Liver surgery for colorectal cancer hepatic metastases has, for the most part, a minimal and brief negative impact on patient-reported outcomes.

At this year's annual NCCN conference, the organization presented updates in 13 areas, including specific disease states and general screening methods.

Patients are less likely to complete colorectal cancer screening if their physician recommended colonoscopy rather than recommending fecal occult blood testing.

Universal tumor testing and a detailed personal and family history assessment are recommended for all patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer.

Adding brivanib alaninate to cetuximab had no survival advantage over cetuximab alone in patients with KRAS wild-type chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer.

New research on predictive and prognostic biomarkers for therapy targeting EGFR strongly suggests that panitumumab should be reserved for mCRC tumors with wild-type KRAS.

Adding oxaliplatin to conventional chemotherapy increases survival in patients with advanced colon cancer in a broad range of community practice settings.