Dr. John Marshall on Steps to Finding a Cure for Colorectal Cancer

John Marshall, MD, Chief, Division Of Hematology/Oncology, Georgetown University Hospital Associate Director, Clinical Research, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital, discusses curing colorectal cancer.

Instead of focusing on extending survival, more focus should be placed on working toward curing colorectal cancer, says Marshall. This is complicated and many are skeptical that it is possible, as colorectal cancer changes and is highly variable, he says.

However, there is an increasing ability of researchers and oncologists to capture and measure the complexity of colorectal cancer. By identifying each subtype, it may be possible to categorize colon cancer and determine the core vulnerabilities to cure the disease.