Posts by Mourabit Halima

A recent study published in Communications Biology explores a promising approach to improving colorectal anastomosis healing using extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from adipose stromal cells, embedded in a thermoresponsive gel (Pluronic® F127). This innovative strategy aims to reduce post-surgical complications, enhance tissue regeneration, and improve healing outcomes, particularly in patients undergoing radiotherapy​.

A new study published in Cancer Medicine by Michele Milella, Giulia Orsi, Mariacristina di Marco, Lisa Salvatore, and colleagues highlights the real-world survival benefits of olaparib in patients with BRCA1/2-mutant metastatic pancreatic cancer (PDAC). Conducted across 23 Italian oncology centers, the analysis revealed that patients exposed to olaparib at any point during their treatment course had significantly longer overall survival (OS) compared to those who did not receive the drug.

Dr. Mark E. Robson, Chief of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, continues to lead research in breast cancer genetics. In a January 2025 Nature publication,…

A new study published in Communications Medicine highlights the potential of gene signatures derived from transcriptomic-causal networks to improve patient stratification for targeted therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). By integrating gene interconnectivity into survival analysis, researchers identified distinct gene signatures that predict response to cetuximab or bevacizumab, providing a more personalized approach to treatment.

The Phase II AveNEC trial, published in Clinical Cancer Research (February 2025), evaluated avelumab in patients with high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN G3) who had progressed after prior chemotherapy. The study…

The BREAKWATER phase 3 trial, published in Nature Medicine, has demonstrated that encorafenib plus cetuximab (EC) with mFOLFOX6 significantly improves objective response rates compared to standard chemotherapy in BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The study reports a confirmed objective response rate of 60.9% with EC+mFOLFOX6 compared to 40.0% with standard chemotherapy, with a median duration of response of 13.9 months versus 11.1 months. The interim analysis of overall survival shows a hazard ratio of 0.47, suggesting a clear survival benefit for EC+mFOLFOX6.

The IMPROVE trial, a phase II study investigating intermittent versus continuous panitumumab plus FOLFIRI in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), has provided key insights into optimizing first-line treatment strategies.

Recent research led by Professor Julien Taieb and colleagues provides significant advancements in the prognostic assessment of stage III colon cancer by integrating circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and Immunoscore (IS). This post hoc analysis of the PRODIGE-GERCOR IDEA-France and HORG-IDEA-Greece trials demonstrates that ctDNA serves as an independent prognostic marker, while IS provides additional stratification, particularly in ctDNA-negative patients.