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Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: 10 recent advances in screening, prevention
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March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. First designated by President Clinton in 2000, this initiative has become an important catalyst for patients, survivors, physicians and advocates to raise awareness about the importance of getting screened.
The editors of Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease have compiled a roundup of 10 recent news articles highlighting the latest research in colorectal cancer.
High-intensity exercise may limit colorectal cancer growth
Biomarkers produced after high-intensity interval training could reduce progression of colorectal cancer cells, according to study results published in the Journal of Physiology.
James Devin, of the School of Human Movements and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia, said that even a short session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) helped produce the cytokines associated with a reduction in cancer growth. READ MORE.
VIDEO: Multi-target stool DNA test reliably detects colorectal cancer
In this exclusive video perspective from the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting, John B. Kisiel, MD, a gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reviews the results of a multi-target stool DNA screening test for colorectal cancer in routine clinical practice.
“It’s very exciting to see that there are new people coming to participate in a colon-cancer screening program, including a significant number of people who are well-overdue to begin screening,” Kisiel told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. READ MORE.
Many patients prefer to continue low-value colonoscopy screenings
Many patients prefer to not stop undergoing screening colonoscopies even if their doctors believe the benefits of continued screening may be low, according to research published in JAMA Open Network.
“Current [United States Preventative Services Task Force] guidelines recommend an individualized approach to colon cancer screening in adults aged 76 to 85,” Sameer D. Saini, MD, MS, of the Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service Center for Clinical Management Research, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “We have a growing array of risk calculators to help us make these individualized decisions, but we have a limited understanding of how patients view the use of such calculators in clinical practice.” READ MORE.
Negative colonoscopy linked to lower colorectal cancer risk after 12 years
Average risk patients with a negative colonoscopy demonstrated a lower risk for overall, proximal, distal, early-stage and advanced-stage colorectal cancer and related deaths for more than 12 years after screening, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
“Guidelines recommend a 10-year rescreening interval after a colonoscopy with normal findings (negative colonoscopy results), but evidence supporting this recommendation is limited,” Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, MAS, from the department of gastroenterology at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, and colleagues wrote. READ MORE.
Colon, rectal cancer mortality rates projected to decrease in most countries by 2035
Colon and rectal cancer mortality rates are projected to decrease by the year 2035 in most countries across the globe except some countries in Latin American and the Caribbean, according to results from a trend-based prediction study on data from a WHO mortality database.
The study results, however, also indicated that rectal cancer mortality is predicted to rise substantially in some countries including the United States and Australia. READ MORE.
Genome-wide association study reveals 40 new genetic links to colorectal cancer
A genome-wide analysis of more than 100,000 individuals identified 40 new genetic variants that point to an increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to research published in Nature Genetics.
Jeroen Huyghe, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said the discovery of these variants — and the validation of 55 previously identified variants — could spur new personalized screening strategies and reveal new targets for drug development. READ MORE.
Endoscopic full-thickness resection feasible, safe for early colorectal cancer
Using endoscopic full-thickness resection can help stratify patients with early colorectal cancer and allows patients with low-risk lesions to avoid surgery, according to research published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Arthur Schmidt, MD, of the department of medicine at the University of Freiburg in Germany, and colleagues wrote that differences in treatment recommendations for high-risk and low-risk lesions make classifying patients for the best treatment strategy critically important. READ MORE.
CRC prevalent when FIT is positive, regardless of recent colonoscopy
The prevalence of colorectal cancer and advanced colorectal neoplasia is not insignificant among patients with a positive fecal immunochemical test result who have undergone recent colonoscopies, according to research published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Yoon Suk Jung, MD, PhD, of the division of gastroenterology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in South Korea, and colleagues wrote that the United States Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer Screening recommends colonoscopy every 10 years or an annual FIT as first tier options for CRC screening. READ MORE.
CRC risk remains high after curative resection
Patients who undergo curative surgery for colorectal cancer remain at relatively high risk for cancer although the quality of surveillance colonoscopies remain high, according to results of a retrospective cohort.
Anne-Marie van Berkel, of the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep in the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote that although endoscopic surveillance after resection is routine in clinical practice, there is limited research on the right timing for the first exam after surgery. READ MORE.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to study link between microbiome, colorectal cancer
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has received up to $25 million to begin a project that will aim to discover how certain microbes inside a person’s body lead to colorectal cancer and influence a patient’s response to treatment, according to a press release.
The institute was one of several institutions around the world to receive funding through Cancer Research UK’s Grand Challenge, which is an initiative that aims to identify the biggest global challenges in cancer research. READ MORE.