Dr. Philip Spotlights Ongoing Research Efforts in CRC

Tony Philip, MD, a medical oncologist at Monter Cancer Center of the North Shore, LIJ Cancer Institute, and an assistant professor of medicine at Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, discusses research efforts underway in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Total neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer is working to change the landscape, especially for patients who have distal rectal cancer, as it represents a nonoperative disease management option, according to Philip. Nonoperative treatments could decrease the number of patients who require a permanent colostomy and preserve organ function, Philip says.

Additionally, options are now available for patients who are not eligible for aggressive treatment, Philip adds. Ongoing research efforts in CRC will determine the role of circulating tumor DNA. It is an exciting prospect to have numerous novel treatment approaches, but questions regarding how and when these therapies should be utilized still need to be addressed, Philip concludes.