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Regular aspirin may help lower risk of colorectal cancer in people with greater lifestyle-related risk factors for the disease, according to a study. For the study, researchers analyzed the health data from 107,655 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. They compared the colorectal cancer rates in those who took aspirin regularly with those who did not take aspirin regularly. Regular aspirin use was defined as either two or more standard dose (325 mg) tablets per week or daily low-dose (81 mg) aspirin. Study participants were followed starting from an average age of 49.4 years. Those...

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test to be used for colorectal cancer screening among average-risk adults 45 and older. The maker of the test, Palo Alto, California-based biotechnology company Guardant Health, announced Monday that this is the first blood test to be approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for colorectal cancer, and it’s the first approved blood screening test for colorectal cancer that meets requirements for Medicare reimbursement. For patients with commercial insurance plans, the cost of the test may vary depending on their individual plan coverage. The list price for the...

An analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial for patients with stage 3 colon cancer found that those with PIK3CA mutations who took celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug, after surgery lived significantly longer and had longer disease-free survival compared to those without the mutation. After primary treatment for stage 3 colon cancer, patients typically receive adjuvant chemotherapy intended to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. In a subset of these patients, the cancer returns, and those patients have few treatment options. Researchers are looking for ways to improve adjuvant therapies and stave off recurrence. To investigate the use of...

A short course of immunotherapy was found to be highly effective in a subset of patients with colon cancer. The treatment, which consisted of two cycles of immunotherapy prior to surgery, was effective in almost all patients. In two-thirds of patients, there were no longer any live tumor cells at the time of surgery. The patients' immune systems had cleaned up the cancer cells. These discoveries were made as part of the NICHE-2 trial. Patients with colon cancer with a specific genetic makeup, known as mismatch-repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instable (MSI), were treated with one cycle of ipilimumab and...

With more and more people below the age of 50 being diagnosed with the illness, the medical community is urgently trying to determine a cause.The recent revelation by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, that she was battling cancer was a shock to many around the world. Middleton, who is only 42, has always appeared to be in the best of shape and in good health. Her diagnosis, however, only highlights the disturbing rise in the number of young people diagnosed with various forms of cancer, especially colon or colorectal cancer. Middleton is rumored to have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer,...

Around 29 million people in the US take a daily dose of aspirin as a preventative measure for cardiovascular disease. And while an age-related increased risk of bleeding has seen it fall out of favor with medical authorities, it's now shaping up as something that might be even more beneficial in triggering the immune system to help take down certain cancers. There's been a growing body of research showing that regular, long-term low-dose aspirin use was associated with better outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC). But scientists haven't been entirely sure just why the common over-the-counter medicine was having a distinctive...

A type of bacteria that causes dental plaque may be behind a treatment-resistant form of colorectal cancer, a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature found. The particular bacterium, which appears to shield tumor cells from cancer-fighting drugs, was found in 50% of the tumors tested in the study. The discovery, experts say, could pave the way for new treatments and possibly new methods of screening. Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and is expected to kill more than 53,000 people in the nation in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society. Rates...

The five people gathered around the restaurant table do not fit the profile of colon cancer patients. They’re female, and they’re young. Two were diagnosed in their 20s, one in her 30s, two in their early 40s. Their colon cancer support group gathers about once a month to share stories, such as the one about the doctor who said you just need a laxative, the one about the oncologist who said there’s nothing we can do for you but give you chemotherapy the rest of your life, the one about friends saying, “You don’t look sick,” without realizing that isn’t...

A study suggests a class of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes may also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). "Our results clearly demonstrate that GLP-1 RAs are significantly more effective than popular anti-diabetic drugs, such as Metformin or insulin, at preventing the development of CRC," said Nathan Berger. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs, are medications to treat type 2 diabetes. Usually given by injection, they can lower blood-sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity and help manage weight. They've also been shown to reduce the rates of major cardiovascular ailments. Importantly the protective effect of GLP-1 RAs...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is expected to contribute to a burden of 3.2 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths by 2040. The authors open by discussing how microbes can be used to prevent CRC. Probiotics, when administered appropriately, enhance the intestinal barrier, modulate the hosts' immune response, remodel the gut microbial composition, and even induce targeted cancer cell death. The first-generation probiotics were formulations of lactic acid bacteria (LBA) from Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Bifidobacterium genera. On the other hand, next-generation probiotics (NGPs) incorporate microbes such as Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium butyricum, Akkermansia muciniphila, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Next,...

Researchers suggest that the intervention of probiotics is a potentially feasible strategy for preventing colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at the middle and advanced stages due to the longer development of malignancies in the colon and rectum, as well as higher concealment compared to other cancers, which results in a narrow treatment window and high mortality rate. Gut microbiota and their secreted metabolites have a significant influence on the initiation and progression of colon cancer. The researchers at IMP have irradiated probiotic JY strain by heavy-ion beams, and obtained an...

Metabolites produced by gut bacteria during digestion can be used to trigger an immune response against colorectal cancer cells, according to new research that points toward a potential treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The research team found that the metabolites activate a molecule on the surface of the cancer cells that attracts immune cells, called T cells. The metabolites are also able to enter the nucleus of the cancer cells and alter their DNA, which further attracts the attention of the immune system. "What we saw is that these products regulate a key molecule on the...

Cholesterol-lowering statins might protect patients with ulcerative colitis from developing and dying from colorectal cancer. Statin treatment was also associated with a lower risk of death regardless of cause in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. This is according to a study. "Our study suggests that statins can prevent colorectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is a high-risk group for this kind of cancer," says Jiangwei Sun. The observational study compared more than 10,500 IBD patients from around the country, of whom half were statin users; the other half of the group, who were matched...

The accuracy of detecting bowel cancer is increased to almost 100% by carrying out a common test twice rather than once, a new study shows. The test—called a fecal immunochemical test (FIT)—is used to detect blood in bowel movements that is not visible, which may indicate the presence of bowel cancer. Researchers found that carrying out the test twice ensured more cases of bowel cancer were identified. As well as reducing the risk of a missed diagnosis, experts say this two-test approach has the potential to reduce demand for colonoscopies in a health care system under pressure. Early detection is...

Researchers have identified four important signs and symptoms that signal an elevated risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. These red flags may be key to earlier detection and diagnosis of early-onset colorectal cancer among younger adults. The number of young adults with colorectal cancer has nearly doubled in recent years. Studying health insurance data with early-onset colorectal cancer—cancer that occurs before a person turns 50—the researchers found that in the period between three months and two years before diagnosis, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea and iron deficiency anemia each indicate an increased risk in those under age 50. They found that...

Colon cancer continues to rise among younger U.S. adults, with the American Cancer Society reporting a doubling of cases in people younger than 55 in about 25 years. Also, significantly more Americans are being diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease.. As of 2019, 20% of colon cancer cases occurred in adults under age 55 -- up from just 11% in 1995... .... "We don't know what is driving the increase in colorectal cancer among young people," said senior researcher Dr. Ahmedin Jemal.. ... This year more than 153,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer and 52,550 will die...

There was a low risk for advanced neoplasia after multiple rounds of negative fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in people undergoing surveillance colonoscopy, according to a study. Molla M. Wassie, Ph.D. and colleagues examined the relationship between number of rounds of negative FIT and the risk for advanced neoplasia in individuals undergoing surveillance colonoscopy. The analysis included 3,369 individuals (aged 50 to 74 years) who had completed a two-sample FIT between colonoscopies with each round having a negative result (<20 μg hemoglobin/g feces). The researchers found that the incidence of advanced neoplasia in the cohort was 9.9 percent and decreased with...

Josep Tabernero presented data at this week's American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) 20th Annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. This open-label controlled two-arm, phase III comparison study was designed to validate the efficacy and safety of the orally administered combination of trifluridine/tipiracil plus monoclonal antibody bevacizumab versus trifluridine/tipiracil alone in the third-line treatment of patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who had progressed after two lines of prior therapy. Around 50% of colorectal cancer patients will ultimately develop metastasis, with a five- year survival rate of only 11%. The prognosis for patients with refractory disease remains poor, with median survival...

New research finds that immune checkpoint (PD-1) inhibitors prior to surgery was strikingly effective for patients with localized mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC). Nearly all of the patients studied benefitted from neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors, with 1-of-4 experiencing complete response on clinical assessment. In addition to the short-term effectiveness, the findings showed substantial longer survival benefits from neodjuvant PD-1 inhibitors, including a low recurrence rate when compared with historic rates. The study included a retrospective review of 73 patients between ages 18 and 75 with confirmed dMMR/MSI-H CRC who received any type of PD-1 inhibitor prior to...

A short, simple and safe drug treatment developed at Tel Aviv University reduced the risk of the spread of cancer metastases after surgery to remove the primary tumor. The research was led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu. The risk of metastases after tumor removal is estimated at 35% among colon cancer patients. Prof. Ben-Eliyahu explains, "The stress and inflammation reactions and anxiety of cancer recurring—all have an adverse effect on the body's ability to fight metastatic processes." "The good news is that we know how to treat both stress and inflammation using off-the-shelf medications." The researchers gave 34 colon cancer patients...