As new colorectal cancer screening guidance draws attention to the growing number of testing options, the American Gastroenterological Association urges patients and primary care providers to understand how those options compare. AGA experts emphasize that screening saves lives — and that the type of test matters. 

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have described a mechanism in metastatic colorectal cancer that has received little attention to date: a key target of existing therapies, the so-called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is likely to affect more than just the cancer cells themselves. The study shows that EGFR also influences certain immune cells in the tumour microenvironment – and thereby helps determine how effectively the body’s own defences can combat the tumour. The findings have recently been published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation.

The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust today announced the 2026 class of the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research.

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, following the implementation of an organized population screening program, colorectal cancer screening participation increased and socioeconomic disparities narrowed over time. Overall uptake in Hong Kong remains low, and some disparities persist in younger age groups (age 50-59 years), single households, individuals with a primary and secondary school education, lower-income groups, and public housing residents. Efforts to increase participation are needed in certain groups to ensure health equity.

The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review Genentech’s supplemental Biologic License Application for their immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq^®) for the treatment of patients with stage III colon cancer with deficient deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mismatch repair (dMMR). The application is supported by findings from the phase III Alliance ATOMIC (A021502) trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and conducted in partnership with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and the German group Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie (AIO). The study demonstrated that patients experienced significantly improved outcomes when atezolizumab was added to standard chemotherapy following surgery.