Radiological imaging markers predicting clinical outcome in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma treated with regorafenib: post hoc analysis of the CORRECT phase III trial (RadioCORRECT study).

Objective: To identify imaging markers predicting clinical outcomes to regorafenib in metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC).

Methods: The RadioCORRECT study is a post hoc analysis of a cohort of patients with mCRC treated within the phase III placebo-controlled CORRECT trial of regorafenib. Baseline and week 8 contrast-enhanced CT were used to assess response by RECIST 1.

Pooled Analysis of Clinical Outcome of Patients with Chemorefractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated within Phase I/II Clinical Studies Based on Individual Biomarkers of Susceptibility: A Single-Institution Experience.

Background: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) refractory to standard therapies have a poor prognosis. In this setting, recruitment into clinical trials is warranted, and studies driven by selection according to individual tumor molecular characteristics are expected to provide added value.

Objective: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with mCRC refractory to or following failure of standard therapies who were enrolled into phase I/II clinical studies at the Niguarda Cancer Center based on the presence of a specific molecular profile expected to represent the target of susceptibility to the experimental drug(s).

Real-world study of everolimus in advanced progressive neuroendocrine tumors.

Everolimus is a valid therapeutic option for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs); however, data in a real-world setting outside regulatory trials are sparse. The aim of this study was to determine everolimus tolerability and efficacy, in relation to previous treatments, in a compassionate use program. A total of 169 patients with advanced progressive NETs treated with everolimus were enrolled, including 85 with pancreatic NETs (pNETs) and 84 with nonpancreatic NETs (non-pNETs).

Integrated molecular dissection of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) [corrected] oncogenic pathway to predict response to EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer.

The introduction of KRAS testing as a diagnostic tool to select patients for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted cetuximab- or panitumumab-based therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer is widely regarded as a key advance in the field of personalized cancer medicine. Oncologists are now facing emerging issues in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, including: (i) the identification of additional genetic determinants of primary resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy for further improving selection of patients; (ii) the explanation of rare cases of patients carrying KRAS-mutated tumors who have been reported to respond to either cetuximab or panitumumab and (iii) the discovery of mechanisms of secondary resistance to anti-EGFR antibody therapies. Here we discuss the potential role of comprehensive dissection of the key oncogenic nodes in the EGFR signaling cascade to predict resistance and sensitivity to EGFR monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Neuroimaging abnormalities in adult medulloblastoma undergoing intensified therapy.

We report on radiological abnormalities resembling recurrent tumor in adult medulloblastoma receiving intensified chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Evidence provided in this paper confirms previous reports in the pediatric population and suggests that neuroradiologist and medical oncologists should be aware of new possible radiological findings related to aggressive treatments for brain tumors.

18FDG-PET evaluation correlates better than CT with pathological response in a metastatic colon cancer patient treated with bevacizumab-based therapy.

Around 20-30% of patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer can undergo liver resection, but the increased response rate obtained with the addition of monoclonal antibodies to chemotherapy regimens could result in a higher rate of liver surgery. In this report we describe the case of a patient who underwent a liver resection after neoadjuvant treatment with capecitabine, oxaliplatin and bevacizumab and who achieved a complete pathological response of the liver metastasis. A preoperative CT scan demonstrated a partial response to the treatment while 18FDG-PET scan correctly evaluated the complete pathological response in the liver and detected an active interaortocaval lymph node metastasis.

The predictive value of 18F-FDG-PET early evaluation in patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma treated with chemotherapy plus cetuximab.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the therapy-induced reduction of the (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) maximum standardized uptake value in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma treated with chemotherapy plus cetuximab could predict the objective response and outcome early during the treatment.

Methods: The study was performed as a part of a phase II trial evaluating cetuximab plus the leucovorin/5-fluorouracil/irinotecan (FOLFIRI) regimen. The objective response was evaluated according to the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) every 6 weeks.

Does biomolecular characterization of stage II/III colorectal cancer have any prognostic value?

As new improvements in the treatment of colorectal cancer have become available, it has become important to understand the benefits of new therapies or the deleterious effects stemming from the increased risk of toxicity. In particular, a more rational approach to adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage II/III disease should be defined by understanding which patients have a higher recurrence risk. Many studies have investigated several molecular markers, but none has been definitively associated with patient outcome.