Gastrointestinal Cancer

The FDA granted priority review to pembrolizumab monotherapy for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic TMB-high solid tumors who have progressed following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

The trial evaluating the first-line treatment of pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer demonstrated improved PFS compared with chemotherapy.

ASCO released new guidelines for treating patients with late-stage colorectal cancer based on previously existing guidelines using an expert panel.

Researchers reported on the incidence and outcomes of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, which has been linked to COVID-19, in patients with cancer who were treated at a tertiary cancer institution in Wuhan, China.

In this study, researchers found that endoscopic therapy was the most effective strategy for patients with T1 CRC with less aggressive biomarker profiles and laparoscopic colectomy was the most effective for patients with more aggressive profiles.

With February being National Cancer Prevention Month, here are the latest updates in cancer prevention.

The FDA granted a priority review to Deciphera Pharmaceuticals’ new drug application for ripretinib to treat patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

The professor from MD Anderson Cancer Center spoke about the exploration of different concepts for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.

The chief of surgical oncology at the UK Markey Cancer Center discussed liquid biopsies and their potential importance for diagnosing gastric cancer.

The expert spoke about ongoing trials of novel treatment strategies that may lead to the development of new therapies in this space.

This technology identified a practical method for detecting multiple gastrointestinal cancers from a single noninvasive blood test.

Incidence of early-onset gastric cancer has steadily increased in the US, now comprising >30% of new gastric cancer cases today, causing researchers to try and discover what makes this disease type unique.

Researchers indicated the importance in improving access to and uptake of CRC screening in these underserved populations.

Although researchers determined which regimen was preferred among physicians in treating metastatic colorectal cancer, they found that shared decision-making should include observation as an acceptable option.

Researchers assessed whether ctDNA could accurately differentiate metastases during the neoadjuvant period after surgery to guide therapy adaptation.

A 39-year-old Hispanic male presented with complaints of mucous stools, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding and a 30-pound weight loss within the past several months.

The FDA approved avapritinib for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor harboring a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation, including PDGFRA D842V mutations.

Though physical activity guidelines are largely based on chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, these data suggest they are important to cancer prevention as well.

These results could present an opportunity to broaden inclusion criteria on clinical trials and intensify chemoradiotherapy treatments.

The FDA approved olaparib for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

The use of aspirin 3 or more times a week was associated with a reduction in all-cause, cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancer mortality in adults 65 and over, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

A retrospective study found that 40% of all patients with metastatic colon cancer are not tested according to guideline recommendations for biomarker testing.

Successfully eliminating Helicobacter pylori from a patient’s gastrointestinal tract could lead to a significant decrease in gastric cancer risk.

Screening colonoscopy rates for colorectal cancer increased in low-income Latino populations when accompanied by patient navigation.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a new drug application for pemigatinib as a treatment for patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements.

Predictive models demonstrated the ability to anticipate adverse opioid-related outcomes among cancer survivors.

A quality improvement study indicated that nudges in the electronic health record were associated with a significant increase in clinician ordering of screening tests for breast and colorectal cancer.

A postsurgical circulating tumor DNA analysis after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy may identify patients with stage III colorectal cancer at high risk of recurrence.

A rare occurrence, cancer in the esophagus requires an individualized treatment plan.

A multi-institutional pilot feasibility study looks at pencil beam scanning proton beam chemoradiation therapy with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C for definitive treatment of carcinoma of the anal canal.