SmCC of the GI tract is a rare and lethal disease. Although there are many similarities to pulmonary SmCC, some differences between the two entities are suggested. While chemotherapy can achieve significant palliation, surgery may have a potential impact on long-term survival of patients with locoregional disease.

Key Points Question Do patients with cancer develop adequate antibody responses to messenger RNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines? Findings In this cohort study that included 102 patients with cancer who were receiving active treatment and 78 healthy controls, 92 patients with cancer (90%) and 100% of the controls were seropositive after the second messenger RNA BNT162b2 vaccine dose.. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that patients with cancer who are receiving active treatment and are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease respond well to messenger RNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and that vaccination of these patients should be seriously considered.

Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the world, and more than 50% of these patients develop liver metastases. Despite recent advances, systemic chemotherapy for metastatic disease without the use of surgery is considered palliative, as there are rarely long-term survivors. However, patients who are candidates for surgical resection of their liver metastases can have a prolonged survival or possibly a cure. Consensus guidelines on criteria for resection and prognostic scores help facilitate patient selection, yet only 25% of patients with liver metastases are considered to have resectable metastases. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been explored in an attempt to render more patients candidates for resection. First reports using neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy in patients with unresectable disease found that 13% to 16% of patients could be rendered resectable. Efforts to increase response rates using hepatic arterial infusion or biologic agents may increase resection rates. This review summarizes the current data on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the rationale for this approach, potential complications, and future prospects.