News | Seppälä Lab

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Burak Yavuz speaks with Toni Seppälä

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Burak Yavuz sat down with Toni Seppälä for an 8-minute discussion hosted by the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP), focused on one of the most pressing challenges in colorectal cancer today: the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC).

Burak asks Toni about the key drivers behind the increasing global incidence, how to distinguish hereditary syndromes from apparently sporadic cases, whether current genetic assessment strategies are keeping pace, and which red flags in younger patients should prompt earlier investigation in daily practice.

EUR 13.6 Million Funding for Early Detection of Lynch Syndrome Cancers

Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Seppälä Lab has received EUR 13.6 million in funding to advance early detection of Lynch syndrome-associated cancers. Lynch syndrome is one of the most common hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes, significantly increasing lifetime risk of colorectal, endometrial, and other cancers.

This funding will support development of novel screening approaches and biomarkers aimed at earlier, more accurate detection — improving outcomes for Lynch syndrome carriers and their families.

Read the full news article at Tampere University →

Advancing Cancer Research Through Foundation and Donor Funding

Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cancer Foundation Finland (Syöpäsäätiö) has awarded Toni Seppälä a EUR 150,000 grant to support a two-year patient study aimed at optimizing colorectal cancer treatment using modern methods.

The study will use tumor DNA analysis from blood samples to identify effective and safe treatment combinations for individual patients, with a focus on colorectal cancer subtypes that respond to immunotherapy.

Read the full article at Syöpäsäätiö →

NORPPA-1: A Phase II Trial of Non-Operative Management in Rectal Cancer

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The NORPPA-1 study (Nordic ORgan Preservation Pilot Approach) is a nonrandomized single-arm clinical trial evaluating non-operative management for rectal cancer, led by Toni Seppälä at Tampere University Hospital (Tays). All 13 surgical units treating rectal cancer in Finland and Estonia are participating.

Currently, rectal cancer is typically treated with surgery that often impacts patients’ quality of life permanently, frequently requiring permanent colostomy. The study focuses on patients whose tumour disappears completely after pre-treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. These patients are monitored closely instead of proceeding to surgery — every three months for the first two years, then every six months for three years.

Around 20% of patients are expected to experience recurrence and will undergo surgery as per current guidelines. For those who avoid surgery entirely, the benefit to quality of life is significant.

The study also investigates why some tumours respond fully to pre-treatment while others do not, examining tumour composition and the cell types that drive recurrence.

Read the full article at Pirha.fi →

View trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06328361) →