Although the numbers of new colon and rectal cancers have been steadily declining in people over 50, the rate of newly diagnosed cancer is increasing in young adults from 20 to 49  in the United States.

The increase is primarily driven by rectal cancer in non-Hispanic whites where there was an average annual increase of 3.5 percent in men and 2.9 percent in women from 1992 through 2005.  Overall, incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults rose during that time 1.5 percent in men and 1.6 percent in women each year, almost all of the new cancers diagnosed in the left colon (distal colon) or rectum. Read the rest of this entry »

Some of the most interesting data presented at ASCO was the data on MSI and 18qLOH in a European clinical trial.

Last year at ASCO, Dr. Daniel Sargent presented new data that patients with stage II disease with microsatellite instability do not only not benefit from 5-FU, but they may be harmed, and it was recommended to test for MSI in all stage II colon cancer patients and in the presence of MSI-high not to give 5-FU. For stage III colon cancer that was not the case.

This year, the PETACC-3 clinical trial was analyzed for MSI and did not show the same the same findings. It seems that chemotherapy does not harm these patients, and they may benefit. Read the rest of this entry »

In the plenary session at ASCO this year there was a presentation of a large NASBP trial which tested whether the addition of Avastin® (bevacizumab) to 6 months of FOLFOX would decrease tumor recurrence.

The data suggested that there was no benefit with the addition of Avastin, which was given not only for 6 months along with chemotherapy but 6 months in addition to FOLFOX for a total of 12 months. Read the rest of this entry »

When cancer has spread beyond the colon or rectum, the primary colorectal tumor can safely be left in place with only rare complications.

Surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York followed 233 patients who began chemotherapy without surgery to remove their primary colon or rectal tumor. Almost 90 percent never had a problem with their tumor that needed intervention with surgery, radiation, or a stent. Only 7 percent required emergency surgery. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost six percent of Medicare patients needed surgery for colon cancer within three years after a negative colonoscopy.

A sample of five percent of Medicare enrollees identified 1,567 patients with colon cancer.  Of those 89 or 5.7 percent had had a negative colonoscopy more than six months but less than three years previously.  All 89 were of average risk for colorectal cancer.

Read the rest of this entry »