June 1, 2008
Colon Cancer Mortality Risk Drops as Vitamin D Levels Rise  

BOSTON, June 19 -- Mortality risk declined significantly in colon cancer patients who had higher vitamin D levels before diagnosis, investigators here reported. <READ MORE>

May 19, 2008
Improvements in Colorectal Cancer Surveillance
Monday, May 19 3:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 CT, Noon PT   

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June 1, 2008
ASCO: Two Minerals May Prevent Neurotoxicity in Colon Cancer Treatment  

CHICAGO, June 1 -- A mineral infusion may protect against neurotoxicity during oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)-based chemotherapy for colon cancer, although dose schedule likely plays a bigger role, according to two analyses of a clinical trial. <READ MORE>

Apr 28, 2008
ASA: NCI-Designated Hospitals Have Lower Mortality after Colorectal Surgery  

NEW YORK, April 28 -- When colorectal cancer surgery is done at National Cancer Institute-designated centers, patients have half the postoperative mortality risk of those with similar procedures elsewhere, researchers reported here. <READ MORE>

Apr 21, 2008
AACR: Neoadjuvant Anti-VEGF Therapy Aids Local Control in Rectal Cancer  

SAN DIEGO, April 21 -- In patients with advanced rectal carcinoma, adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation led to 100% local control at four years, investigators in a small clinical study reported here.  <READ MORE>

Apr 18, 2008
AACR: Colon Cancer Prevention Continues after Stopping Celecoxib (Celebrex)  

SAN DIEGO, April 18 -- Apparent colon cancer-preventing effects of celecoxib (Celebrex) persist for at least five years, including two years after halting therapy, according to a long-term follow-up of high-risk patients in a randomized trial. <READ MORE>

Apr 15, 2008
AACR: Drug Duo Linked to Major Drop in High-Risk Adenoma Recurrence  

SAN DIEGO, April 15 -- The risk of colonic adenoma recurrence fell by as much as 95% over three years in high-risk patients treated with a combination of difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and sulindac, according to data reported here. <READ MORE>

Mar 6, 2008
CT Colonography and Stool DNA Called Ready for Prime Time as Colon Cancer Screens  

ATLANTA, March 6 -- CT colonography and stool DNA have been elevated to the list of recommended colon cancer screening tests in guidelines issued by a consortium of oncology groups. <READ MORE>

Mar 4, 2008
Nonpolypoid Colon Lesions Common and Often Malignant 

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 4 -- Flat and depressed nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms are common, hard to detect, and more likely to be malignant than the more familiar colorectal polyps, researchers here reported. <READ MORE>

Feb 19, 2008
Smoke Exposure Linked to Younger Age at Colon Cancer Diagnosis

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 19 -- Smokers should be screened for colon cancer at a younger age than 50 because they are likely to develop the malignancy years earlier than nonsmokers, suggested investigators here. <READ MORE>

Jan 29, 2008
Tiny RNA Sections Linked to Prognosis and Outcome in Colon Cancer

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 29 -- The fledgling field of microRNA research is so new that many oncologists may have never even heard of it, but it could be intimately involved with prognosis, outcomes, cause, and perhaps even cure of adenocarcinoma of the colon. <READ MORE>

Jan 28, 2008
ASCO GI: Green Light Re-Issued for Neurotoxicity-Limiting Ploy for Oxaliplatin in Colon Cancer

ORLANDO, Jan. 28 -- The warning that emerged a year ago that adding IV calcium and magnesium to therapy with oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) counteracted the drug's efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer appears to have been a false alarm. <READ MORE>

Oct 17, 2007
ACG: Colonoscopy's Benefits Extend to 80 and Beyond

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 17 -- The benefits of screening colonoscopy extend to patients 80 and older, according to two studies reported here. <READ MORE>

Oct 15, 2007
Colorectal Cancer Leads Decline in Cancer Death Rates

ATLANTA, Oct. 15 -- Cancer death rates fell by about 2.1% per year from 2002 to 2004, compared with a 1.1% per year decline from 1993 through 2002, according to the annual report to the nation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.  <READ MORE>

Oct 15, 2007
ACG: H. pylori Infection Linked to Higher Rate of Colonic Adenomas

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 15 -- Helicobacter pylori infection has been associated with the development of adenomatous polyps of the colon, according to a study reported here.  <READ MORE>

One year after completing the first large-scale report sequencing breast and colon cancer genes, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have studied the vast majority of protein-coding genes which now suggest a landscape dominated by genes that each are mutated in relatively few cancers.  <READ MORE>

Sept 24, 2007
Newer Chemo Regimens Prolong Survival in Advanced Colorectal Cancer

IOANNINA, Greece, Sept. 24 -- Today's newer chemotherapy drugs add months to the lives of patients with advanced colorectal cancer, but at a high cost in toxicity and complications, a meta-analysis showed. <READ MORE>