Advances in Colorectal Cancer

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Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and the second most common Adrucil and Eloxatin, was more effective than Camptosar when both were combined with the traditional chemotherapy drugs.

“After relying on the same two drugs for years, all of the sudden we have two more drugs that can help people with metastatic colorectal cancer breast cancer trial that Avastin is not a magic bullet,” says Helen Chen, MD, senior investigator in the Investigational Drug Branch at the National Cancer Institute. “At this time, it’s hard to predict which patients with which cancer will benefit most. It’s important to wait for the NSAIDs, does just that. This class of drugs includes that humble and trusted resident of everyone’s medicine tablet, colonoscopy — are so successful at is that they can detect abnormalities, such as polyps, that may be precursors to developing cancer. While other cancer screening tests, such as a mammography for breast cancer, only find cancer that’s already in the body, endoscopies can catch abnormalities before they turn cancerous.

While people may avoid getting an endoscopy, Newcomb points out that the benefits are long lasting – five to 10 years or more — because the test is so accurate.

Newcomb also says that researchers continue to look at the effects of diet and exercise on colorectal cancer risk. A number of studies have found that regular exercise does cut the risk; other studies have suggested that a diet low in meats and high in vegetables may do the same.

Keeping Perspective

While all of these new medications and developments are cause for enthusiasm, it’s important to realize that there’s a lot we don’t know. Research breakthroughs may not translate into something that tangibly benefits the average patient until years later, if at all.

For instance, the FDA has only approved Erbitux for people with metastatic colorectal cancer, which is the most advanced and hardest to cure. Only further study will tell how much impact it and other new drugs will have on earlier stages of the disease. For now, Mooney and Chen stress that these medications should not be used in stages of colorectal cancer for which they haven’t been approved.

Much of the work for researchers now is to sort out how to best use these new medications. While they may not grab headlines, some of the most important advances may come in the details: tinkering with different dosages, treatment regimens, and combinations of drugs.

But while it’s important to guard against over-optimism, there is still a great deal to be encouraged about.

“Within the last few years, there’s been tremendous progress,” says Mooney. “While none of these treatments are the penicillin for colorectal cancer, they’re still important steps forward.”

And with time and research, all of these smaller steps may yet add up to something big.