Colorectal Cancer News and Research

Latest Colorectal Cancer News and Research

Racial disparities in colorectal cancer screening persist

Colorectal cancer screening among patients with Medicare coverage is increasing, but a persistent gap remains between whites - who are screened most frequently - and all other racial and ethnic groups, according to a new study by researchers at UC Davis and the University of Washington.

20 Feb 2009

Cancer death rates fall among African Americans - survival rates still low

While death rates from cancer continue to drop among African Americans, the group continues to be diagnosed at more advanced stages and have lower survival rates at each stage of diagnosis compared to whites for most cancer sites.

20 Feb 2009

Genetic ID of marker in lymph nodes may be linked to colorectal cancer recurrence risk

A preliminary report suggests that genetic testing may help identify a marker in lymph nodes that is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer recurrence among patients in whom conventional testing indicates that those lymph nodes show no evidence of cancer spread, according to a study in the February 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Feb 2009

Presence of a biomarker in regional lymph nodes predicts disease recurrence in colorectal cancer

Findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University show that the presence of a biomarker in regional lymph nodes is an independent predictor of disease recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer.

18 Feb 2009

Newly discovered mutation can hold the key to treat a large number of different cancers

Scientists have discovered a mutation responsible for cancer progression, a finding with potential implications for the development of treatment against not one, but a series of cancer types since this mutation can be linked to an abnormality recently discovered to exist in all malignancies.

18 Feb 2009

Exercise lowers risk of colon cancer

An ambitious new study has added considerable weight to the claim that exercise can lower the risk for colon cancer.

15 Feb 2009

Costs of digestive diseases grown to more than $141 billion a year

Digestive, liver and pancreatic diseases result in more than 100 million outpatient visits and 13 million hospitalizations annually at a cost of $141.8 billion.

10 Feb 2009

Primary care doctors miss opportunities to recommend colon cancer screening

While it is known that patients with few primary care doctor's office visits are less likely to receive colorectal cancer screening, new research indicates that even patients who see their physicians regularly also do not receive screening.

3 Feb 2009

New potential targets for colitis-associated cancer

Recent research from the laboratory of Michael Karin, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - the first researcher to demonstrate a molecular link between inflammation and cancer - has identified two potential targets for the prevention and treatment of colitis-associated cancer (CAC), the most serious complication of inflammatory bowel disease.

2 Feb 2009

New CDC study assesses impact of genetic testing on health outcomes

Some genomic tests developed to personalize medical decisions about cancer care are beneficial, while for others the evidence is uncertain and reliance on the test might even lead to poorer medical management of cancer in some cases, according new recommendation statements from an expert panel.

2 Feb 2009

Pre-emptive treatment helped curtail skin toxicity with Panitumumab

With a pre-emptive, prophylactic skin regimen, patients who receive panitumumab for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer may be able to avoid some of the skin-associated toxicities, according to data presented at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.

19 Jan 2009

Transarterial chemoembolization as liver cancer treatment

Using tiny chemotherapy-soaked beads to choke off and kill cancerous liver tumors is becoming more successful, according to research being presented at the 21st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).

19 Jan 2009

Colonoscopy quality critical factor to thorough exam and best colon cancer detection

Publication of a meta-analysis by Wilkins et al. on colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer performed by primary care physicians raises several important issues regarding the quality of the exam, the safety of patients and the effectiveness of detecting colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous changes in the colon.

13 Jan 2009

Estrogen plus progestin therapy may decrease risk of colorectal cancer

The combination of estrogen plus progestin, which women stopped taking in droves following the news that it may increase their risk of breast cancer, may decrease their risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

8 Jan 2009

Genomics in China

Ten years ago, the Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai (South Center, hereafter) was established in the Zhangjiang HiTech Park of Pudong District in Shanghai.

7 Jan 2009

New online tool for calculating colorectal cancer risk

A new online tool for calculating colorectal cancer risk in men and women age 50 or older was launched today, based on a new risk-assessment model developed by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

1 Jan 2009

Bowel cancer screening set to save thousands of lives

Bowel cancer screening is predicted to save over two and a half thousand lives every year in the UK by 2025, according to new research published in the Journal of Medical Screening.

29 Dec 2008

Drinkers with the ADH1C gene at greater risk of colorectal cancer

Chronic drinking is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, possibly through the effects of acetaldehyde, which is created by the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme.

21 Dec 2008

Merck KGaA acquires manufacturing rights for Stimuvax from Oncothyreon

Oncothyreon Inc. announced today that Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany has licensed the right to manufacture Stimuvax and, through its affiliate EMD Serono Canada Inc., purchased current inventory and certain assets utilized for the manufacture of Stimuvax from Oncothyreon for consideration which includes net payments to Oncothyreon totaling approximately U.S. $13 million.

18 Dec 2008

Smoking significantly linked to increased risk for colorectal cancer

An analysis of previous studies indicates that smoking is significantly associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer and death, according to an article in the December 17 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

16 Dec 2008