Gastrointestinal Cancer News

The FDA has issued orphan drug designation to Biostage’s Cellspan esophageal implant, which restores the structure and function of the esophagus following damage related to cancer, injury or congenital abnormalities, the company announced.

The presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum in cancer tissue appeared associated with shorter survival in patients with esophageal cancer, according to results of a study conducted in Japan.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research presented 2-year grant awards to two Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators.

In a phase 2 clinical trial, the use of yttrium-90 radioembolization was more effective in prolonging time to tumor progression vs. conventional transarterial chemoembolization in patients with early intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma.

Some of the same modifiable lifestyle factors associated with the risk for developing conventional adenomas are also associated with the risk for sessile serrated polyps, according to a study led by researchers from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Use of proton pump inhibitors for at least a year was associated with an increased risk for fundic gland polyps, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Steven K. Libutti , MD, FACS, has been appointed director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Higher levels of prediagnostic wine consumption may be associated with slightly improved survival in patients with colorectal cancer, according to a study published in Cancer.

The FDA granted priority review to the anti–PD-1 therapy pembrolizumab for use in previously treated patients with advanced microsatellite instability–high cancers, according to the agent’s manufacturer.

Offering $5 or $10 as an incentive for responding to a mailed invitation to undergo a fecal immunochemical test had no effect on colorectal cancer screening rates, according to a study published in “The Negative Issue” of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a special edition focusing on what physicians should not do in clinical practice.