Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 2023: Diagnosis, Clinical Course, and Surgical Management of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer


Book Description

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and at Frontiers in Oncology we want to highlight the recent discoveries in the field and raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis, multidisciplinary management, and technological innovation support. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and represents one of the most relevant challenges for present and future global health, with 50 % of patients affected by CRC developing metastasis. Despite the introduction of novel therapeutic approaches and anticancer drugs, colorectal metastatic cancer (mCRC) continue to have a poor prognosis. In the last years, the extensive investigation on biomarkers that could identify patients at high risk for metastasis and predict the response to therapies has deeply impacted the therapeutic approaches to patients with mCRC. The most established biomarkers for mCRC are microsatellite instability (MSI) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), HER2 amplification, RAS/BRAF mutations, and sidedness. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been extensively used to treat patients with microsatellite unstable or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) CRC, while patients harboring a BRAFV600E mutation benefit from combination therapy with chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs. The success of biomarker-driven patient selection to improve the therapeutic response and the overall survival of patients with mCRC highlights the imperative need for further research to identify novel biomarkers for better patient-tailored therapy.




Genetics of Colorectal Cancer


Book Description

Genetic susceptibility refers to how variations in a person’s genes increase or decrease his or her susceptibility to environmental factors, such as chemicals, radiation and lifestyle (diet and smoking). This volume will explore the latest findings in the area of genetic susceptibility to gastrointestinal cancers, focusing on molecular epidemiology, DNA repair, and gene-environment interactions to identify factors that affect the incidence of GI cancers. Topics will include germline susceptibility, including Mendelian patterns of inheritance and gene-environment interactions that lead to cancer etiology.




Rectal Cancer Treatment


Book Description

Rectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers world-wide. It is also a paradigm for multimodal management, as the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy is often necessary to achieve the optimal outcome. Recently, international experts met in Heidelberg, Germany to discuss the latest developments in the management of rectal cancer, including the anatomic and pathologic basis, staging tools, surgical concepts including fast-track surgery and laparoscopic resection, functional outcome after surgery and the role of radio- and chemotherapy. This monograph summarizes this meeting and gives an extensive overview of the current concepts in management of rectal cancer.




Management of Colorectal Cancer


Book Description

Focusing on recent developments in the understanding and treatment of colorectal cancer, this detailed reference covers all aspects of the disease, with contributions from a strong international team of authors. * Includes chapters on genetics and molecular pathology * Provides a comprehensive overview of current and developing treatment strategies * Covers preoperative treatment and surgery, chemotherapy, biological therapies, and much more




Perioperative Chemotherapy


Book Description

One reason for failure to cure solid tumors by surgery appears to be the impossibility of controlling metastases that are present but latent at the time of operation. This failure is a common clinical experience with aggressive neoplasms. but it is not always appreciated in tumors with longer survival times. e. g .• breast and colon cancer. In addition. recent evidence indicates that after resection of a primary tumor micrometas tases from it might be enhanced by suppression of immune and reticu loendothelial functions of the host. Other factors, such as increase of coagulability and stress in the perioperative period, can also promote tumor growth. The development of new metastases might be facilitated by cells forced into the circulation during operative manipulations. Such events could be important for the outcome of treatment and it is suggested that preventive measures should be directed to this systemic component of solid tumors. Radical surgery can reduce the number of tumor cells to a subclinical 3 6 stage (10 to 10 cells) in which chemotherapy might be more effective than in advanced stages. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, might aggravate the surgical morbidity by influencing the wound healing pro cess, by decreasing the immune response, and/or by toxicity to the bone marrow and to the gastrointestinal tract, for example.




Cancer-Associated Thrombosis


Book Description

Showcasing the expertise of top-tier specialists who contributed to the newly released guidelines for the care of thrombosis in cancer patients, this exciting guide was written and edited by members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology panel, (ASCO), on the prevention and treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis, among others, and provides




Palliative Care in Oncology


Book Description

Palliative care provides comprehensive support for severely affected patients with any life-limiting or life-threatening diagnosis. To do this effectively, it requires a disease-specific approach as the patients’ needs and clinical context will vary depending on the underlying diagnosis. Experts in the field of palliative care and oncology describe in detail the needs of patients with advanced cancer in comparison to those with non-cancer disease and also identify the requirements of patients with different cancer entities. Basic principles of symptom control are explained, with careful attention to therapy for pain associated with either the cancer or its treatment and to symptom-guided antineoplastic therapy. Complex therapeutic strategies for palliative cancer patients are highlighted that involve both cancer- and symptom-directed options and address a range of therapeutic aims. Issues relating to drug use in palliative cancer care are fully explored, and a separate section is devoted to care in the final phase. A range of organizational and policy issues are also discussed, and the book concludes by considering likely future developments in palliative care for cancer patients. Palliative Care in Oncology will be of particular interest to palliative care physicians who are interested in broadening the scope of their disease-specific knowledge, as well as to oncologists who wish to learn more about modern palliative care concepts relevant to their day-to-day work with cancer patients.




Colorectal Cancer Screening


Book Description

Colorectal Cancer Screening provides a complete overview of colorectal cancer screening, from epidemiology and molecular abnormalities, to the latest screening techniques such as stool DNA and FIT, Computerized Tomography (CT) Colonography, High Definition Colonoscopes and Narrow Band Imaging. As the text is devoted entirely to CRC screening, it features many facts, principles, guidelines and figures related to screening in an easy access format. This volume provides a complete guide to colorectal cancer screening which will be informative to the subspecialist as well as the primary care practitioner. It represents the only text that provides this up to date information about a subject that is continually changing. For the primary practitioner, information on the guidelines for screening as well as increasing patient participation is presentedd. For the subspecialist, information regarding the latest imaging techniques as well as flat adenomas and chromoendoscopy are covered. The section on the molecular changes in CRC will appeal to both groups. The text includes up to date information about colorectal screening that encompasses the entire spectrum of the topic and features photographs of polyps as well as diagrams of the morphology of polyps as well as photographs of CT colonography images. Algorithms are presented for all the suggested guidelines. Chapters are devoted to patient participation in screening and risk factors as well as new imaging technology. This useful volume explains the rationale behind screening for CRC. In addition, it covers the different screening options as well as the performance characteristics, when available in the literature, for each test. This volume will be used by the sub specialists who perform screening tests as well as primary care practitioners who refer patients to be screened for colorectal cancer.







Cancer Clinical Trials


Book Description

A readable guide for anyone who is considering therapeutic options in addition to standard cancer therapy. The book seeks to share knowledge about cancer clinical trials with people living with cancer, their families and loved ones.