Surgery is the only potential curative option of CRLM if resectable. The curative approach in patients over 70 years old is challenging mainly because of comorbidities and other geriatric syndromes. Herein, we report outcomes of older patients with resectable CRLM in our center. We retrospectively analyzed characteristics and outcomes of older patients with CRLM operated at “Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal” (CHUM) between 2010 and 2019. We identified 210 patients aged ≥70 years with a median age of 76 (range: 70–85). CRLM were synchronous in 56% of patients. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 41.3 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 62.2 months and estimated 5-year survival rate was 51.5% similar to those of younger counterparts. Patients with metachronous CRLM had a trend to a higher OS compared to those with synchronous disease (67.2 vs. 58.7 months; p = 0.42). Factors associated with lower survival in the multivariate analysis were right-sided tumors and increased Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI). Survival outcomes of patients aged ≥70 years were comparable to those of younger patients and those reported in the literature. Age should not be a limiting factor in the curative management of older patients with resectable CRLM.
The Eastern Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference was an annual meeting that was held in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, from 26 to 28 September 2024. This included experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, nuclear medicine, and general practitioners in oncology (GPO) from across the eastern Canadian provinces who are involved in the management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. This consensus statement generated by the conference addresses multiple topics, including the management of localized rectal cancer, liver-limited colorectal cancer, systemic therapy for advanced biliary tract cancers, radioligand therapy for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), systemic therapy for pancreatic and midgut well-differentiated NETs, and systemic therapy for HER2-positive gastroesophageal cancers.
The Eastern Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference convened annually and was held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, from 18 to 20 September 2025. Attendees included experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, and general practitioners in oncology (GPO) from across the eastern Canadian provinces who are engaged in the care and management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. The consensus statement resulting from this meeting addresses several key topics, including the management of early-stage gastroesophageal junction cancer, recent developments in molecular biomarkers and colorectal cancer treatments, secondary prevention strategies for colorectal cancer, and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers include esophageal, esophagogastric junction, and stomach cancers, which together represent the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide in both sexes, with approximately 1,100,000 deaths in 2022. The disease is usually diagnosed at an advanced non-curable stage, and conventional chemotherapy treatment is associated with poor prognosis. Advances have been made in the development of new therapies, including immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Biomarker identification has expanded treatment options and guides treatment selection. This article reviews the molecular characterization of GI cancers, which has been the subject of increasing research, and biomarker-targeted agents, representing a continually evolving landscape in upper GI cancers.