ASCO, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Colon Cancer, Red Meat / 13.06.2023
Cleveland Clinic Study Suggests Diet Plays Important Role in Colon Cancer Development
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_60498" align="alignleft" width="160"]
Dr. Kamath[/caption]
Dr. Suneel Kamath MD
Gastrointestinal Oncologist
Cleveland Clinic
Senior Author on this research
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Colorectal cancer rates in young people under age 50 are skyrocketing and have been for the last 3-4 decades. We really don’t understand why because most cases (probably around 70%) are not genetic or hereditary, just random, unfortunate events. We suspect that it is some exposure(s) like excess consumption of red meat, processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, excess antibiotic use altering the microbiome, rising incidence of obesity or some other factors. We really don’t know why yet.
Our study used a technology called metabolomics, the study of breakdown products and production building blocks for our bodies, to look for differences in colorectal cancer in young people versus people that are older that developed colorectal cancer. Because metabolomics measures how each individual interacts with the exposures in our environment like diet, air quality, etc., it is a way to bridge the gap between our nature (determined by genetics) and nurture (determined by our exposures).
Dr. Kamath[/caption]
Dr. Suneel Kamath MD
Gastrointestinal Oncologist
Cleveland Clinic
Senior Author on this research
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Colorectal cancer rates in young people under age 50 are skyrocketing and have been for the last 3-4 decades. We really don’t understand why because most cases (probably around 70%) are not genetic or hereditary, just random, unfortunate events. We suspect that it is some exposure(s) like excess consumption of red meat, processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, excess antibiotic use altering the microbiome, rising incidence of obesity or some other factors. We really don’t know why yet.
Our study used a technology called metabolomics, the study of breakdown products and production building blocks for our bodies, to look for differences in colorectal cancer in young people versus people that are older that developed colorectal cancer. Because metabolomics measures how each individual interacts with the exposures in our environment like diet, air quality, etc., it is a way to bridge the gap between our nature (determined by genetics) and nurture (determined by our exposures).
Dr. Lova Sun[/caption]
Lova L. Sun, MD, MSCE
Medical Oncology
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: An common clinical question for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with long-term response to immunotherapy-based treatment is how long to continue treatment. The major clinical trials stopped immunotherapy at a maximum of 2 years, but in clinical practice many patients and clinicians continue treatment beyond this time point.
We conducted a retrospective study of lung cancer patients across the US with long-term response to immunotherapy, to compare survival between those who stopped treatment at 2 years vs those who continued beyond 2 years. We found that there was no statistically significant difference in survival between the two groups.
