March is colon cancer awareness month.
Colon cancer remains a deadly yet potentially preventable disease. This month is a helpful reminder of the importance of screening colonoscopies. This is particularly important this year when many people had delayed routine procedures such as colonoscopies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The treatment of advanced colon cancer continues to evolve. Increasingly, we can shorten the course of adjuvant treatments and monitor DNA in the blood for early signs of cancer relapse. We also have new genetic targets that we are looking for in patients with metastatic disease. In fact, Virginia Cancer Specialists has a clinical trial looking for HER2 mutations in metastatic patients and a clinical trial for a drug that targets this gene. The treatment regimen for each patient is becoming more personalized based on genetic testing. I am truly excited about this and hope that this will lead to improved outcomes for all patients.
