Colorectal Cancer

Joe Bullock finally heard the 3 little letters he’d been waiting to hear since his colorectal cancer diagnosis: NED. But he wasn’t expecting the uncertainty that shortly followed, feeling stuck in the in-between phase “after cancer.”

Six months before he was diagnosed with stage IIIB colorectal cancer, both of Joe Bullock’s parents passed away. Chemotherapy hit him hard and stirred a mixture of depression and feelings of inadequacy as a husband and father. Then he discovered the power of opening up.

New study results presented at the 2020 ASCO annual meeting suggest that there is a new standard of care for the first-line treatment of some patients with advanced colorectal cancer. This was the first study to compare the use of Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a PD-1 inhibitor, versus chemotherapy to see which is the best first treatment for patients with metastatic (spreading) colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) abnormalities.

The use of first-line immunotherapy combination with Opdivo (nivolumab) and low-dose Yervoy (ipilimumab) continues to show robust, long-term benefit in patients with microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic (spreading) colorectal cancer, according to new study results presented at the 2020 ASCO annual meeting.

A new study was presented at the 2020 ASCO meeting that compared, for the first time, the use of immunotherapy versus chemotherapy for treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair-deficient abnormalities.

Lynch syndrome is a hereditary genetic abnormality that can cause several types of cancer. Wenora Johnson discovered that it ran in her family after she had treatment for colon cancer. Knowing that she was at a high risk for certain cancers, and having 2 children already, she had her ovaries and uterus removed, as prevention.

Oncology dietitian Julie Lanford offers tips on how to reduce the risk of colon cancer, as well as strategies for survivors during and after cancer treatment.

As a psychologist dedicated to helping people cope with disasters, Jamie D. Aten knew the damage “survivor’s guilt” can do. As a stage IV colon cancer survivor, he says, “I wasn’t prepared for it to hit me personally.”

When treatment for advanced colon cancer forced Cindy Simpson Wise to slow her busy pace, she found comfort in surrounding herself with nature’s beauty and in focusing on hope and joy.