Stents Can Manage Colon Obstruction Effectively

Self-expanding metal stents can help patients with an obstruction from advanced colon cancer avoid surgery.

When a large tumor blocks the left side of the colon, surgeons can remove the tumor or put in a stent to move bowel contents around the obstruction.  According to a recent study, patients live as long with either technique but spend less time in the hospital and have fewer complications with stents. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on August 29th, 2008
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Tags: metastatic colorectal cancer, surgery

Two Different First-Line Irinotecan Treatments Have Similar Results

Spanish researchers have found that patients treated every week with Camptosar® (irinotecan, CPT-11) plus a high dose of  continuous infusion 5-FU (fluorouracil) without leucovorin had similar outcomes to those treated with the more common biweekly FOLFIRI treatment that includes leucovorin.  FOLFIRI is Camptosar, 5-FU, and leucovorin.  The new treatment is called FUIRI. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on August 26th, 2008
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Tags: metastatic colorectal cancer

Call for New Staging System for Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Experts in treating colorectal cancer that has spread to distant sites say that the need for a better staging system for advanced disease is urgent. More specific staging could identify patients whose cancer could be cured with surgery.  For others, modern chemotherapy might make curative surgery possible.

In addition, a more precise staging system, with more categories, would provide better survival prognosis.

Currently all patients whose cancer has spread beyond their colon or rectum to distant sites (metastatic colorectal cancer) are lumped together in one group, classified as stage IV or Dukes D.  No difference is made for those who have liver tumors that could be surgically removed or those where chemotherapy might make surgical cure possible. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on August 19th, 2008
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Tags: metastatic colorectal cancer, staging, surgery

KRAS Mutation Status Predicts Response to Erbitux in Canadian Study

Another study has shown that colon or rectal cancer patients whose tumors have mutated KRAS don’t benefit from Erbitux® (cetuximab).  However, in the study when only patients with normal or wild-type KRAS were considered, survival time almost doubled after treatment with Erbitux began. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on July 1st, 2008
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 2 Comments »
Tags: Erbitux, KRAS, metastatic colorectal cancer, survival benefit

Xelox as Effective as FOLFOX after Colorectal Cancer Progresses

XELOX, as second-line therapy, was found to be as effective as the more commonly used FOLFOX treatment for patients whose cancer had already gotten worse on treatment with Camptosar® (irinotecan).

XELOX combines an oral drug Xeloda® (capecitabine) with Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin).  FOLFOX uses an infusional schedule of 5FU and leucovorin.

Researchers randomly compared XELOX to FOLFOX4 to treat 627 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.  Patients had already received initial therapy with Camptosar and either had their cancer progress or were unable to tolerate the treatments.  Although outcomes were similar for the two regimens, side effects differed.

Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on June 13th, 2008
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: FOLFOX, metastatic colorectal cancer, side effects, survival, XELOX