Association between Deficient MSH2/MSH6 vs MLH1/PMS2 Status and Survival Rates in Localized Colorectal Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objective: This study investigated the association between loss of MSH2/MSH6 versus loss of MLH1/PMS2 expression and overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with localized colorectal cancer.

Background: The risk of developing colorectal cancer varies depending on the expression of mismatch repair proteins. However, it is unknown if the prognosis differs accordingly.

Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Stage I-III Deficient Mismatch Repair Colon Cancer: A Clinical Trial.

Objective: This clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of single-cycle pembrolizumab in patients with localized deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has induced remarkable rates of pathological complete response in patients with dMMR colon cancer. However, the optimal length and type of treatment are yet to be determined.

Postoperative Exercise Training in Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Postoperative morbidity can reduce quality of life, physical performance, and tolerability of postoperative chemotherapy in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Exercise can improve these outcomes in some cancer populations. However, it remains unknown whether exercise can be delivered in the early postoperative period following surgery for CRLM without increasing the risk of harms.

Dose reduced preoperative chemotherapy in older patients with resectable gastroesophageal cancer: A real-world data study.

Introduction: Older patients with gastroesophageal (GE) cancer are at increased risk of low treatment tolerability and poor outcome. Dose reduced chemotherapy has been shown to improve tolerability without compromising efficacy in advanced GE cancer. However, the impact of reduced dose preoperative chemotherapy in the curative setting of older patients is unknown.

Introducing Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing the Frontier.

Objective: To give surgeons a review of the current and future use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with localized colorectal cancer (CRC).

Background: Immunotherapy has revolutionized the standard of care in oncology and improved survival outcomes in several cancers. However, the applicability of immunotherapy is still an ongoing challenge.

The Association of Mismatch Repair Status with Microscopically Positive (R1) Margins in Stage III Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: There is mounting evidence that microscopically positive (R1) margins in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) may represent a surrogate for aggressive cancer biology rather than technical failure during surgery. However, whether detectable biological differences exist between CRC with R0 and R1 margins is unknown. We sought to investigate whether mismatch repair (MMR) status differs between Stage III CRC with R0 or R1 margins.

Neoadjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer: comprehensive review.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy has an established role in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. However, its role continues to evolve due to both advances in the available treatment modalities, and refinements in the indications for neoadjuvant treatment and subsequent surgery.

Methods: A narrative review of the most recent relevant literature was conducted.

Temporal trends and regional variability in BRAF and KRAS genetic testing in Denmark (2010-2022): Implications for precision medicine.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the developments in the testing of Kirsten Rat Sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) mutations across different cancer types and regions in Denmark from 2010 to 2022.

Study Design And Setting: Using comprehensive data from the Danish health registries, we linked molecular test results from the Danish Pathology Registry with cancer diagnoses from the Danish National Patient Registry between 2010 and 2022. We assessed the frequency and distribution of KRAS and BRAF mutations across all cancer types, years of testing, and the five Danish regions.

TRIFLURIDINE/TIPIRACIL (FTD/TPI) with or without bevacizumab in previously treated patients with esophago-gastric adenocarcinoma, a randomised phase III trial.

Background: Trifluridine-tipiracil has shown a survival benefit compared with placebo in patients with chemorefractory metastatic esophago-gastric adenocarcinoma. We aimed to compare the efficacy of trifluridine-tipiracil plus bevacizumab vs trifluridine-tipiracil monotherapy in pre-treated patients with metastatic esophago-gastric adenocarcinoma.

Methods: This investigator-initiated, open-label, randomized trial enrolled patients with metastatic esophago-gastric adenocarcinoma.

[Not Available].

Older cancer patients are more often than younger diagnosed via an unplanned hospital admission which may negatively influence the prognosis. An increasing number of cancers is expected due to ageing of populations, and these phenomena are likely to result in an increase in older cancer patients with multiple complications, extended hospital stays, and reduced quality of life and survival. In this review, we present recent data about routes to cancer diagnosis for older vs younger patients to emphasize that diagnostic pathways need improvements to avoid an increase in unplanned hospital admissions due to cancer.

[Not Available].

In Denmark, around 4,500 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) annually. This review investigates that while the efficacy of immunotherapy in CRC is still being studied, immunotherapy is currently only indicated in the treatment of mismatch-repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic CRC, which accounts for 10-15% of patients. Recent studies indicate high rates of pathologic response in dMMR CRC treated with pre-operative immunotherapy while large-scale studies on novel immunotherapy combinations are ongoing.

Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on long-term overall survival in patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on long-term survival in unselected patients with high-risk stage II colon cancer including an analysis of each high-risk feature.

Materials And Methods: Data from the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group, the National Patient Registry and the Danish Pathology Registry from 2014 to 2018 were merged. Patients surviving > 90 days were included.

Variations in the definition and perceived importance of positive resection margins in patients with colorectal cancer - an EYSAC international survey.

Introduction: Microscopically positive resection margins (R1) are associated with poorer outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer. However, different definitions of R1 margins exist. It is unclear to what extent the definitions used in everyday clinical practice differ within and between nations.

Evaluating the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with stage I-III MMR-deficient colon cancer: a national, multicentre, prospective, single-arm, phase II study protocol.

Introduction: Within the last two decades, major advances have been made in the surgical approach for patients with colorectal cancer. However, to this day we face considerable challenges in reducing surgery-related complications and improving long-term oncological outcomes. Unprecedented response rates have been achieved in studies investigating immunotherapy in patients with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer.

Differences in adjuvant chemotherapy and oncological outcomes according to margin status in patients with stage III colon cancer.

Background: Microscopically positive margins to lymph node metastases (R1LNM) are associated with poorer oncological outcomes in patients with Stage 3 colon cancer. These poorer outcomes were seen despite a greater proportion of these patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy when compared to those with microscopically negative (R0) margins. We sought to determine if differences in the type or duration of adjuvant chemotherapy could account for the differences in outcomes seen between patients with R0 and R1LNM margins.

Implementation and clinical benefit of DPYD genotyping in a Danish cancer population.

Background: In 2020, the European Medicines Agency recommended testing patients for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency before systemic treatment with fluoropyrimidines (FP). DPD activity testing identifies patients at elevated risk of severe FP-related toxicity (FP-TOX). The two most used methods for DPD testing are DPYD genotyping and DPD phenotyping (plasma uracil concentration).

Therapy with pembrolizumab in treatment-naïve patients with nonmetastatic, mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer.

Therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is effective in patients with metastatic mismatch-repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC); however, data on treatment with neoadjuvant ICI in patients with locally advanced CRC are limited. From March 2019 to June 2020, five Danish oncological centers treated 10 patients with a treatment-naïve dMMR CRC with preoperative pembrolizumab, 9 with a nonmetastatic, unresectable colon cancer and 1 with a locally advanced rectum cancer. All 10 patients were evaluated regularly at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, and they all had a radical resection after a median of 8 cycles (range 2-13) of pembrolizumab.

Extensive genomic analysis in patients with -mutated solid tumors shows high frequencies of concurrent alterations and potential targets but has limited clinical impact.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the distribution and frequency of concurrent alterations in different cancers across subtypes and in different subtypes across cancers, and to identify potentially actionable targets and patients who received targeted treatment matched to their genomic profile (GP).

Materials And Methods: In this descriptive and single-center study, we included 188 patients with solid tumors harboring mutations in codon 12, 13, 61, 117, or 146, referred to the Phase 1 Unit, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark from mid-2016 to 2020. Genomic co-alterations were detected with whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, SNP array, and mRNA expression array on fresh biopsies.

A phase II study of daily encorafenib in combination with biweekly cetuximab in patients with BRAF V600E mutated metastatic colorectal cancer: the NEW BEACON study.

Background: Patients with BRAF V600E mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have a poor prognosis. The introduction of BRAF targeted therapy with encorafenib and weekly administered cetuximab have shown improved survival with a median progression free survival (PFS) of 4.3 months.

The Prognostic Value of Pre-Treatment Circulating Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation (CRP, dNLR, YKL-40, and IL-6) in Vulnerable Older Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving Palliative Chemotherapy-The Randomized NORDIC9-Study.

Appropriate patient selection for palliative chemotherapy is crucial in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We investigated the prognostic value of C-reactive protein (CRP), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), Interleukin (IL)-6, and YKL-40 on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the NORDIC9 cohort. The randomized NORDIC9-study included patients ≥70 years with mCRC not candidates for standard full-dose combination chemotherapy.

DPYD genotyping and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) phenotyping in clinical oncology. A clinically focused minireview.

Background: In clinical oncology, systemic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its oral pro-drugs are used to treat a broad group of solid tumours. Patients with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme deficiency are at elevated risk of toxicity if treated with standard doses of 5-FU. DPYD genotyping and measurements of plasma uracil concentration (DPD phenotyping) can be applied as tests for DPD deficiency.