Project
Twinning for a European Consortium of Rectal Cancer Research Institutions through Stepping Up Scientific, Technological and Innovation Excellence of IORS
Programme and Topic: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-
Acronym: STEPUPIORS
Grant agreement ID: 101079217
EU Contribution: 1 500 000,00 EUR
Start date: 1 October 2022
End date: 30 September 2025
Colorectal cancer
Although the incidence of rectal cancer has been historically difficult to assess, due to its combining with colon cancer as a single disease entity (colorectal cancer, CRC), rectal cancer has distinct environmental and genetic risk factors that differentiate it from colon cancer. Its incidence has been reported to increase in the 18-50-year age group, especially in younger adults, with projections of a further rise in the next 20 years.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT)
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the gold standard in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), but the response is not uniform among patients and improvements are currently being assessed. Profiling the response to CRT in patients with LARC would enable more adequate selection of patients who would benefit most from CRT while minimizing adverse effects and toxicity. Patients with a favorable response to CRT would be candidates for a less invasive surgical approach or would be enrolled in a watch and wait approach in the case of a complete clinical response (cCR), which would increase their quality of life and contribute to the overall reduction of treatment cost. Identification of novel therapeutic targets might also be beneficial to rectal cancer patients who do not respond well to neoadjuvant CRT.
