Circulating tumor cells (rare cells from a cancerous tumor that appear in the bloodstream) can help predict how a person with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) might do over time.

A study published in the October 2012 Annals of Oncology compared levels of CTCs with levels of CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) to see how the two tests compared or could be used together to predict survival times in metastatis CRC.

Results in 217 patients with metastatic CRC showed that at the beginning of treatment, CTC numbers alone–not CEA levels–could accurately predict length of survival. But when patients had a high initial level of CEA levels, adding the CTC number helped predict which patients would survive longer. At the 6-12 week mark, each test alone could accurately predict prognosis.   

The study’s second author and member of FCRC’s Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Neal Meropol, noted that, in clinical practice, he tends to rely more on CT scans and MRIs for metastatic CRC treatment decisions, but that CTCs seem to be a good indicator for overall prognosis. Read the rest of this entry »

A new type of drug was successful in helping patients with cancer cachexia regain muscle and strength, and counting circulating tumor cells helped predict survival for people with advanced colorectal cancer.

Free colonoscopies are available through a Connecticut program, the FDA and FTC warn the public to be wary of websites or ads promising treatments for 2009 H1N1 influenza, and people in remote areas of Arizona were able to have CT colonoscopy screening with teleradiology. Read the rest of this entry »

The number of cancer tumor cells circulating in the bloodstream can provide information about prognosis and survival for people with metastatic colorectal cancer.  Measuring circulating tumor cells before beginning a treatment and then during treatment can help doctors decide if the therapy is working or whether cancer is getting worse.

Tumor cells can be found in the blood of cancer patients, but are very rare in healthy people.  Using a technique that identifies and magnetically separates circulating tumor cells, researchers were able to measure the number of circulating cells in a standard amount of blood. They measured circulating tumor cells before treatment began and again several times during treatment. Read the rest of this entry »