Radiomic Parameters for the Evaluation of Response to Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients with Liver Metastasis: Findings from the CAVE-GOIM mCRC Phase 2 Trial.

Background: CAVE is a single arm, Phase 2 trial, that demonstrated anti-tumor activity of cetuximab rechallenge plus avelumab in patients with RAS wild type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Objective: We conducted a post hoc analysis to identify potential radiomic biomarkers for patients with CRC liver metastasis (LM).

Patients And Methods: Patients with LM that could be measured by enhanced contrast phase computed tomography (CT) imaging at baseline and at first response evaluation were included.

Real-World Activity and Safety of Trifluridine-Tipiracil Plus Bevacizumab Therapy in Patients with Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background: The combination of trifluridine-tipiracil and bevacizumab was compared with trifluridine-tipiracil monotherapy in a randomized, open-label, phase II trial, resulting in a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS), with tolerable toxicity in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, evidence supporting the role of this combination in a real-world setting is limited.

Objective: The aim of our work was to provide further evidence on the activity and safety of this combination in a real-world series of Western mCRC patients refractory or intolerant to previous therapies.

Patient And Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study of patients with mCRC refractory or intolerant to standard therapies.

Liquid biopsy in biliary tract cancer from blood and bile samples: current knowledge and future perspectives.

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is an aggressive tumor characterized by a poor prognosis. In the latest years, targetable genetic alterations have been discovered in BTC patients, leading to the approval of new targeted therapies. Liquid biopsy, which is a non-invasive method for detecting tumor biomarkers from fluid samples, is a useful tool for diagnosis and molecular characterization, but also for prognosis assessment and monitoring of treatment response.

Beyond N staging in colorectal cancer: Current approaches and future perspectives.

Traditionally, lymph node metastases (LNM) evaluation is essential to the staging of colon cancer patients according to the TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) system. However, in recent years evidence has accumulated regarding the role of emerging pathological features, which could significantly impact the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) and Log Odds of Positive Lymph Nodes (LODDS) have been shown to predict patients' prognosis more accurately than traditional nodal staging and it has been suggested that their implementation in existing classification could help stratify further patients with overlapping TNM stage.

How Immunotherapy Has Changed the Continuum of Care in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The use of local treatment, such as surgical resection, liver transplant, and local ablation, has improved the survival of patients with HCC detected at an early stage. Until recently, the treatment of patients with metastatic disease was limited to the use of the multikinase inhibitor (MKI) sorafenib with a marginal effect on survival outcome.

Immunotherapy in colorectal cancer: is the long-awaited revolution finally happening?

Immunotherapy has recently become a major treatment modality for several types of solid tumours, achieving remarkable and long-lasting remissions. In metastatic colorectal cancer patients (mCRC), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) were found to be effective as treatment for deficient mismatch repair (dMMR)/ microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) tumours and received regulatory approval for this indication. However, mCRC is a complex disease and dMMR/MSI-H tumours represent a minority of the cases; therefore, new strategies are needed to extend the benefits of immunotherapy to a larger population of patients.