I am not only a GI oncologist who sees patients, but I am also running a laboratory. My research tries to understand why some colon cancers respond to chemotherapy and others don’t, and why some colon cancers recur after successful removal by the surgeon.

I am trying to change the way we treat patients with colon or rectal cancer. Over the last 10 years we have identified genetic signatures which help us choose the most effective and least toxic chemotherapy. In my practice every patient with newly diagnosed colon cancer is genetically tested for KRAS and two genes which show whether FOLFOX chemotherapy is more likely to be successful. Read the rest of this entry »

Patients whose colorectal cancer tumors had a mutation in the KRAS gene had no benefit from treatment with Erbitux® (cetuximab).  They lived no longer after Erbitux treatment began than patients who had no Erbitux. Read the rest of this entry »

Hypomagnesemia, or reduced magnesium levels, is a side effect of Erbitux® (cetuximab) treatment.  Patients with colorectal cancer whose blood magnesium dropped the fastest also had the best response to Erbitux given with Camptosar® (irinotecan) .

Italian researchers measured magnesium levels for 68 patients before treatment began and then 6 hours, 1 7, 14, 21, 50, and 92 days later.  After the seventh day, readings decreased consistently.

Magnesium levels fell at least 20 percent for 25 patients by the third week.  More of these patients responded to treatment, they lived longer before their cancer got worse and had longer overall survival. Read the rest of this entry »