May 23, 2016, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute -- The 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will include more than 70 research presentations by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators and will attract as many as 30,000 oncology professionals from around the world. Held June 3 to 7 in Chicago at McCormick Place, presentations will cover the latest findings across oncology.
Here is a brief look at select studies Dana-Farber and Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center researchers are presenting at the meeting:
Colorectal cancer: Tumor location impacts survival odds
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Abstract 3505: Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH - Presenter
9:24 a.m. - 9:36 a.m.
Oral Abstract Session: Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer
Sunday, June 5, 8 a.m. - 11 a.m., Hall B1
Although the location of a colorectal cancer has a big influence on survival odds, this factor isn't routinely reported or included in patient counseling, say researchers from Dana-Farber who contend this practice needs to change.
In a study to be presented at the ASCO annual meeting, researchers found that the average survival of patients whose tumors were located in the right-hand portion of the colon, or large intestine, was about half that of individuals whose tumors were elsewhere in the colon.
The colon has a configuration like that of a large upside-down, square-sided "U" in the lower and upper abdomen. The ascending colon begins in the lower right abdomen and extends vertically. Then it takes a 90-degree turn straight across the abdomen to the left side. This portion is called the transverse colon. Taking another sharp turn, it becomes the descending colon, which goes down to the lower right abdomen, where it turns again to form the sigmoid colon, ending in the rectum and anus.
Using a federal database, the researchers compared median survival and three-year survival in patients with tumors on the right side (ascending colon), descending colon, and rectum. The patients had stage III or IV cancers.
Patients with tumors in the left side of the colon and the rectum survived for a median of 17 months, with a three-year survival probability of 27 percent.
Outcomes were significantly worse when the tumor was in the ascending colon on the right side or the transverse colon. Median survival in those patients was 8.7 months, and their odds of surviving three years were only 16 percent.
This disparity calls for consistent reporting in the medical record of the tumor's location, the researchers say, along with further research to determine why location influences survival.
