Rectal Cancer News

Sutent® Fails to Show Benefit in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (07/01/2009)
The combination of the targeted therapy Sutent® (sunitinib) and FOLFIRI chemotherapy did not result in better progression-free survival than FOLFIRI alone among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, prompting a Phase III clinical trial of the combination treatment to be stopped early. This information was made available in a press release from Pfizer.

CT Colonography May Be Appropriate Screening Test for Some High-risk Individuals (06/22/2009)
Among people at increased risk of colorectal cancer, computed tomographic (CT) colonography correctly classified 85% of the people with advanced adenomas or cancer and 88% of the people without advanced adenomas or cancer. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Age and Illness Increase Colonoscopy Risks (06/18/2009)
Although the risk of complications from colonoscopy is low, risk increases among the very elderly and among those with certain chronic health conditions. These results were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Preemptive Skin Treatment Reduces Skin Toxicity Associated with Vectibix® in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (06/09/2009)
Early skin treatment that is initiated prior to the start of EGFR treatment with Vectibix® (panitumumab) reduces the incidence and severity of skin toxicity and improves quality of life in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Florida.

Surgery Unnecessary for Most Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (06/02/2009)
Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer do not need to undergo surgical removal of their tumor unless the tumor is causing complications, according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Florida.

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Screening/Prevention

CT Colonography May Be Appropriate Screening Test for Some High-risk Individuals (06/22/2009)
Among people at increased risk of colorectal cancer, computed tomographic (CT) colonography correctly classified 85% of the people with advanced adenomas or cancer and 88% of the people without advanced adenomas or cancer. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Age and Illness Increase Colonoscopy Risks (06/18/2009)
Although the risk of complications from colonoscopy is low, risk increases among the very elderly and among those with certain chronic health conditions. These results were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Coffee Does Not Decrease Risk of Colorectal Cancer (05/04/2009)
Contrary to the results of several previous studies, coffee consumption does not appear to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to the results of a study published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Aspirin Helps Prevent Colorectal Adenomas (03/11/2009)
Daily use of aspirin may reduce the risk of colorectal adenomas, especially advanced lesions, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Diet Rich in Calcium May Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer (03/06/2009)
A diet that is high in calcium may be associated with a reduced risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, according to the results of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Stages I-III

Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy Reduces Rectal Cancer Recurrence (03/09/2009)
Among patients with operable rectal cancer, those who received radiation therapy prior to surgery (neoadjuvant radiation therapy) had a lower risk of recurrence than those who were assigned to selective postoperative chemoradiotherapy. These results were published in the Lancet.

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (03/03/2009)
As the month of March brings colon cancer into focus, it’s a great time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated colorectal cancer information throughout the year.

Test May Help Predict Recurrence Risk in Early Colorectal Cancer (02/24/2009)
Testing lymph nodes for the presence of a protein known as guanylyl cyclase 2C (GUCY2C) may help predict risk of recurrence among colorectal cancer patients with no apparent lymph node metastases. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Evolving Role of EGFR Inhibitors in Colorectal Cancer—A Report from ASCO 2008 (01/23/2009)
Results from the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held May 30–June 2 in Chicago, Illinois, revealed significant steps towards the improvement of outcomes for patients with varying types of cancers. As seen during the past few years, attention has turned towards individualizing patient care through targeted therapies, optimizing patient selection for specific therapies, as well as a focus on quality of life and survivorship issues.

NCCN Updates Colorectal Cancer Guidelines to Include KRAS Testing (11/05/2008)
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated guidelines regarding the treatment of colorectal cancer to include pretreatment testing of a tumor’s KRAS gene status. This updated recommendation is based on results from recent studies indicating that the status of the KRAS gene is highly predictive of the effectiveness of agents targeted against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

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Stage IV

Sutent® Fails to Show Benefit in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (07/01/2009)
The combination of the targeted therapy Sutent® (sunitinib) and FOLFIRI chemotherapy did not result in better progression-free survival than FOLFIRI alone among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, prompting a Phase III clinical trial of the combination treatment to be stopped early. This information was made available in a press release from Pfizer.

Preemptive Skin Treatment Reduces Skin Toxicity Associated with Vectibix® in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (06/09/2009)
Early skin treatment that is initiated prior to the start of EGFR treatment with Vectibix® (panitumumab) reduces the incidence and severity of skin toxicity and improves quality of life in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Florida.

Surgery Unnecessary for Most Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (06/02/2009)
Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer do not need to undergo surgical removal of their tumor unless the tumor is causing complications, according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Florida.

Erbitux® plus FOLFIRI Reduces Time to Recurrence as First-line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (04/09/2009)
The addition of Erbitux® (cetuximab) to FOLFIRI chemotherapy reduces the risk of progression in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the results of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

TheraSphere® Shows Promise in Treatment of Liver Metastases (03/18/2009)
Among patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, treatment of the liver with TheraSphere® (yttrium-90 glass microspheres) appears to provide sustained stabilization of disease. These results were published in the journal Cancer.

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Recurrent/Relapsed

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (03/03/2009)
As the month of March brings colon cancer into focus, it’s a great time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated colorectal cancer information throughout the year.

NCCN Updates Colorectal Cancer Guidelines to Include KRAS Testing (11/05/2008)
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated guidelines regarding the treatment of colorectal cancer to include pretreatment testing of a tumor’s KRAS gene status. This updated recommendation is based on results from recent studies indicating that the status of the KRAS gene is highly predictive of the effectiveness of agents targeted against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Early Skin Treatment Reduces Skin Reactions in Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with Vectibix® (08/22/2008)
Among patients with colorectal cancer, skin treatment beginning on the day prior to therapy with Vectibix® (panitumumab) significantly reduces skin side effects associated with Vectibix compared with skin treatment after side effects occur. These results were presented at the 10^th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer held in Spain in June 2008.

Testing for Specific Protein May Identify Colorectal Patients Who Will Benefit from Erbitux® (04/07/2008)
Researchers have identified a test to predict which patients with colorectal cancer would likely respond to treatment with Erbitux® (cetuximab). Details of the study were recently published in the Annals of Oncology.

Hemoglobin Level Among Factors that May Predict Outcome in Rectal Cancer (03/17/2008)
Researchers in the United States have recently published results indicating that certain prognostic factors may predict outcome for patients undergoing radiation for locally recurrent rectal cancer. These results were recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics.

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