Gastrointestinal Cancer

A team of Finnish researchers has created a deep learning algorithm that appears to help clinicians better predict patient outcomes based on colorectal cancer tissue samples.

The STAT3 inhibitor napabucasin significantly improved survival among patients with colorectal cancer with elevated phosphorylated STAT3 expression.

In this interview we discuss preliminary results of the COMPASS trial, which used whole-genome sequencing and RNA sequencing to analyze the tumors of patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to identify possible first-line treatments.

As part of our coverage of the 2018 GI Cancers Symposium, we discussed the role of locoregional therapies for patients with metastatic esophageal and gastric cancers.

Adding bevacizumab maintenance therapy failed to improve outcomes compared with no treatment when administered during chemotherapy-free intervals to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer after induction chemotherapy.

Undergoing cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) resulted in improved overall survival compared with resection alone for patients with gastric cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis, according to data presented at the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

A diet rich in foods known to cause inflammation may increase the risk for colorectal cancer by about one-third, according to the results of a newly published study.

A test measuring circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream was able to accurately detect early-stage colorectal cancers, according to the results of a new study.

A 56-year-old Caucasian woman presented to her primary care physician with a 3-month history of intermittent bright red rectal blood with defecation. At her initial visit, a digital rectal examination, anoscopy, and a pelvic examination with DNA testing for high-risk HPV were performed; all results were negative. She was referred for a colonoscopy, which revealed an abnormal area with a 3 × 4–cm mass in the rectum at a distance of 10 cm from the anal verge.

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and high expression of VEGF-D garner more benefit from the VEGFR-2 antibody ramucirumab than those with low VEGF-D expression, according to a new study.

A large meta-analysis found that current and former smoking status was associated with poorer colorectal cancer prognosis compared with never smoking, and that smoking cessation may improve survival over those who continue to smoke.

A previously healthy 36-year-old man initially presented to his primary care physician with occasional bloody stools and dull right upper quadrant pain. Blood was sometimes mixed into his stools but was more often seen on the toilet paper after wiping.

The FDA approved a biosimilar for trastuzumab, Ogivri, for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast and stomach cancer.

The early integration of oncology and palliative care enhanced coping strategies and improved QOL for patients newly diagnosed with incurable lung or GI cancer.

In this interview, we discuss an assay that can detect disease recurrence in colorectal cancer patients.

Treatment with the anti–PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab resulted in durable antitumor activity with manageable side effects in patients with heavily pretreated, PD-L1–positive advanced esophageal carcinoma, according to phase IB results of the KEYNOTE-028 study.

The combination of olaparib plus paclitaxel failed to significantly improve overall survival compared with placebo plus paclitaxel in Asian patients with advanced gastric cancer, according to the phase III results of the GOLD study.

Adherence to treatment guidelines for stage II or III colon cancer improved from 2001 to 2011 and resulted in improved survival outcomes.

Utilization of testing for mismatch repair deficiency was poor and underused in a large population of patients with colorectal cancer.

Aprepitant plus palonosetron and dexamethasone showed early promise for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among patients with colorectal cancer who are undergoing FOLFOX chemotherapy, according to results of a small pilot study.

Anti-EGFR therapy is a valuable addition to the armamentarium of treatment options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. However, RAS mutation status is an imperfect biomarker for prediction of therapeutic outcomes in this setting. The recent discovery of tumor sidedness as a predictor of response highlights how little we understand about which patients are the most appropriate to receive drugs that target EGFR.

Adolescent obesity may be associated with an increased risk for non-cardia gastric cancer, according to the results from a cohort of almost 1.8 million men and women.

HER3 messenger RNA expression may serve as a biomarker for patients with RAS wild type colorectal cancer who will benefit from treatment with the anti-EGFR therapy panitumumab, according to the results of a new study.

A combination of oral antibiotics and mechanical bowel preparation helped to decrease the rate of surgical site infections in patients undergoing rectal cancer resections.

In this article, we provide a summary of nonoperative management of locally advanced rectal cancer in the modern era. Our focus is on technical details of tumor response and patient assessment after chemoradiotherapy, as well as a review of existing clinical data.