Cancer Research Lab

Following treatment of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) refractory metastatic colorectal cancer with oxaliplatin and irinotecan, survival is greater in patients under the age of 70 years, according to Australian researchers.

In the February issue of the British Journal of Cancer, Dr. Niall C. Tebbutt of Austin Hospital, Heidelberg and colleagues conducted an Australian population-based study using a government insurance database covering 2002 and 2003 and involving almost 3000 patients.

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For women diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, MRI is useful in detecting cancer in the opposite breast that may have been missed with mammography and clinical examination, new research shows.

Up to 10% of women who have received treatment for unilateral breast cancer have involvement of the other breast as well, according to the report in The New England Journal of Medicine for March 29. The focus of the present study was to determine if MRI evaluation can improve the detection of contralateral malignancies.

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Calcium, vitamin D supplements and dairy products are protective against colorectal cancer, according to findings published in the March issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, and dietary factors are considered to be important in its risk,” Dr. Song-Yi Park, of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, and colleagues write. “A possible protective effect of calcium and vitamin D against colorectal carcinogenesis has been suggested from results of in vivo and in vitro studies.”

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Data from a study involving almost 40,000 women support a potential role of oral contraceptives in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, researchers report in the April issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

As lead investigator Dr. Jennifer Lin said, “Our study suggests that exogenous hormone use such as oral contraceptives may confer some protection among women against colorectal cancer development.”

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Intake of 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D each day may safely reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to the results of a meta-analysis of published data.

The current findings contradict what was seen in previous studies, such as the Women’s Health Initiative. In those trials, vitamin D intake did not seem to protect against colorectal cancer. However, it is possible that the dose may simply have been too low to provide a benefit.

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The rate of new or missed colorectal cancer (CRC) after colonoscopy is influenced by who performs the examination and where it takes place, Canadian researchers report. Cancers are more likely to be missed with colonoscopy by an internist or family physician, and in an office setting.

Given these findings, senior investigator Dr. Linda Rabeneck said that “for the delivery of colonoscopy services in Ontario, we need to further study the practice of colonoscopy in offices and private clinics… There is something different about the practice of colonoscopy in these settings that gives rise to higher cancer miss rates, a worrisome finding.”

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