In an unprecedented move, the FDA today granted accelerated approval to the cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda – Merck & Co) for treatment of any unresectable or metastatic solid tumors associated with the genetic abnormality known as microsatellite instability. It’s the first time the agency approved a cancer treatment or indication that is not for a tumor
“Colon cancer patients who had a healthy body weight, engaged in regular physical activity … and drank small to moderate amounts of alcohol had longer disease-free and overall survival than patients who did not,” Erin L. Van Blarigan, ScD, of the University of California San Francisco said during a press briefing prior to the American
A study published in Cancer examined if patient navigation impacted colonoscopy outcomes. Here’s what they found: 1. Patients in the navigated group were 11.2 times more likely to complete colonoscopy than control patients. 2. Navigated patients were 5.9 times more likely to have adequate bowel preparation. 3. Navigated patients also missed no appointments compared to
Doctors should also follow up on CRC (colorectal cancer) symptoms in younger adults: Sarah DeBord was 24 when she first noticed blood in her stool. She saw a gastroenterologist who did a procedure called a flexible sigmoidoscopy to examine her lower colon and rectum, then gave her a diagnosis of hemorrhoids. “I don’t see any
Study links extended antibiotic use to higher risk of colon polyps A study in the journal Gut found women who took oral antibiotics for at least two weeks in their 20s through 50s increased their risk of colon polyps in their 60s, compared with not taking the drugs for extended periods of time. “This suggests
In honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Today.com interviewed physicians about symptoms that should never be ignored. “People are maybe sometimes uncomfortable about talking about that part of their body,” Dr. Jennifer Inra, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Today.com. Still, the best way to address the risk is to
Use of a scalp-cooling device during chemotherapy reduced the incidence of severe hair loss by 50% in patients with breast cancer on chemotherapy, according to a randomized study. Half of the patients who used the electronic scalp cap had moderate or no hair loss, whereas all patients assigned to control therapy had severe or total
We now have more evidence that fat fuels cancer’s spread Scientists have stopped metastasis in mice. Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world, but until now, scientists have struggled to understand exactly how and why cancer cells go through the energy-intensive process of splitting off, travelling through the bloodstream, and taking
Study found ‘right-sided’ tumors had worse prognoses, with implications for screening and treatment A study in JAMA Oncology showed that patients with cancer found on the left side of the colon were almost 20% less likely to die than those with cancer on the right side of the colon. Dr. David Bernstein at Northwell
Cumulative adenoma sizes may be as good a predictor of polyp recurrence as current strategies.
Study: Adenoma bulk may be used as surveillance strategy Analyzing adenoma bulk may predict metachronous neoplasia as well as the current surveillance strategy of size, number, and tissue type. This is according to research presented at the ACG 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting. Dr. Joseph Anderson of Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine called adenoma bulk
