Research updates
A book goes out of date the day it is printed. This is how I keep it current: new colorectal cancer research, read, filtered and written up in plain language.
How these are chosen
Every week I search Europe PMC, which covers PubMed and the medRxiv preprint server in one index, across the topics the book is built on: recurrence prevention and screening, diet and lifestyle, the supplements and repurposed drugs, and the microbiome.
Most of what comes back is not worth your time, so every abstract is scored for whether a patient or a clinician would actually gain anything from it, and the rest is dropped. What survives gets written up with the study design stated at the top, the numbers that matter, the limitations, and a link to the source so you can check my reading against the paper. Preprints are labelled as preprints, because they have not been peer reviewed.
I never republish an abstract. Everything here is my own synthesis, written to be readable by the person it concerns rather than by a specialist.
These summaries are education, not medical advice. A single new study rarely changes what you should do, and the ones that sound most dramatic are usually the ones that replicate least. Discuss anything here with your oncology team before acting on it.
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Fruzaqla extended survival after several treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer
In the 691-person FRESCO-2 trial, people given Fruzaqla plus best supportive care lived a median 7.4 months, compared with 4.8 months with placebo plus best supportive care, with…
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Blocking WNT made retinoids more active in colorectal cancer models
In colorectal cancer cells, a patient-derived organoid and one mouse model, combining WNT-pathway inhibitors with retinoid drugs produced greater anti-tumour activity than either treatment alone. The result is…
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Platelet drugs were linked to lower colorectal cancer mortality
In 334,882 Swedish people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, P2Y12 inhibitor use was not linked to fewer new colorectal cancers, but longer use was associated with lower colorectal cancer…
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A gut bacterium slowed bowel tumours in mice
In mice genetically prone to intestinal tumours, daily Agathobacter rectalis or its proposed metabolite epigallocatechin reduced tumour measures, while 80 μM epigallocatechin also suppressed colon cancer cells in…
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Adding chemotherapy and bevacizumab delayed progression in DNA repair-deficient bowel cancer
In 82 people with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer that was mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high, adding mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy and bevacizumab to atezolizumab lowered the risk of progression…
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Stomach bacteria may account for some colorectal cancers worldwide
Across 43 observational studies involving 48,694,403 people, exposure to Helicobacter pylori was associated with 1.59 times higher colorectal cancer risk (95% CI 1.36 to 1.87). A modelling exercise…
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Blood test led to more potentially curative recurrence treatment
In a 584-person randomised trial after surgery for nonmetastatic colorectal cancer, surveillance guided by a blood test for tumour DNA led to curative-intent treatment in 48.1% of recurrences,…
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Hybrid resistance training was manageable, creatine added no clear benefit
In this 27-person randomized pilot trial, 24 participants completed 10 weeks of supervised hybrid resistance training, with 91.5% average exercise dose completion and 94% supplement adherence. Creatine did…
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Chemotherapy was linked to longer time without cancer returning
Among 566 people with stage III colorectal cancer and impaired performance status, adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with longer disease-free survival after matching, HR 0.573 (P=0.003). Oxaliplatin-containing treatment showed…
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A screening program was linked to fewer colorectal cancer deaths
In the Basque Country of Spain, age-standardized colorectal cancer mortality fell from 32.8 to 23.1 deaths per 100,000 people between 2004 and 2024, a 29.6% decline. The fall…
Keep up with the research
New colorectal cancer research, screened and explained in plain language, sent when there is something genuinely worth reading. Roughly monthly, never more than that.
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