More older Americans are undergoing screening for colon cancer, but the rates for breast cancer screening remain the same, according to a government report released on July 6, 2010.[1] The best “treatmentâ€� of cancer is preventing its occurrence in the first place or detecting it early when it may... Continue Reading

Radioembolization plus the chemotherapy agent fluorouracil slows cancer progression for colorectal cancer patients whose disease has progressed following prior treatment with chemotherapy and have metastases limited to the liver. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.[1] Colorectal... Continue Reading

A substantial number of patients with metastatic cancer may suffer from depression which tends to persist and grow more severe toward the end of life, according to the results of a study published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.[1] While cancer and other serious illnesses are risk factors... Continue Reading

Endoscopists who detect tumors or polyps (adenomas) at a higher rate during colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer tend to produce a lower risk for interval cancer among their patients, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Colon cancer is the second leading cause... Continue Reading

Consumption of coffee and sugary soft drinks does not increase the risk of colon cancer, according to the results of a study published early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.[1] High tea consumption, on the other hand, might be associated with a modest increase in risk. Researchers... Continue Reading

Among individuals between 55 and 64 years of age, one screening using flexible sigmoidoscopy can reduce risk of developing colorectal cancer and dying from the disease, according to a study published in The Lancet. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. If... Continue Reading

Previous studies have reported that colorectal cancers with mutations in a gene known as KRAS do not respond well to drugs such as Vectibix® (panitumumab). In an effort to expand these findings and further individualize colorectal cancer treatment, researchers evaluated several additional genes.... Continue Reading

The higher incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer among African Americans compared with Whites may be due to differences in health care utilization rather than differences in susceptibility to cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 Despite... Continue Reading

New chemotherapy agents for metastatic colorectal cancer modestly improve survival time but come with substantial costs, according to the results of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.[1] Metastatic colorectal cancer refers to cancer that has spread from the colon to distant sites... Continue Reading

Individuals with low blood levels of an active form of vitamin B6 or low dietary intake of vitamin B6 may have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. These results, based on an analysis of several previously published studies, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Vitamin... Continue Reading

Among patients with previously treated, metastatic colorectal cancer, the addition of the targeted therapy Vectibix® (panitumumab) to chemotherapy delayed cancer progression. This benefit was only observed in patients whose tumors did not contain a mutation in the KRAS gene. These results were presented... Continue Reading

Among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer that does not have a mutation in the KRAS gene, initial treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and Vectibix® (panitumumab) delays cancer progression by 1.6 months compared with chemotherapy alone. These results were presented at the 2010 ASCO... Continue Reading