Preventing Colon Cancer Before It Starts: Researchers Explore Novel Therapeutic Strategies

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William Grady, MD, talks about the latest research in colorectal cancer, including treatments targeting senescent cells that contribute to tumor formation.

“A strategy that my group is moving into is whether there’s an opportunity for preventing colon polyps and cancer altogether,” William Grady, MD, director, Translational Research in Gastroenterology, University of Washington Medical Center, said in an interview with Patient Care Online. Above, Dr Grady—coauthor of the pivotal ECLIPSE clinical trial of the FDA-approved Shield cell-free DNA blood-based test for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening—discusses the latest advances in CRC research, including improving current screening methods through combining molecular assays with clinical features and therapies targeting senescent cells that contribute to tumor formation.


Dr Grady is a professor in the public health sciences division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr Grady is also the Rodger C. Haggitt professor in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.