Neoadjuvant Nivolumab, Ipilimumab Safe for dMMR Colon Cancer
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 -- Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab has an acceptable safety profile in patients with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colon cancer, according to a study published in the June 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Myriam Chalabi, M.D., Ph.D., from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 study involving patients with nonmetastatic, locally advanced, previously untreated dMMR colon cancer treated with neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Safety, defined by timely surgery, and three-year disease-free survival were the two primary end points.
The researchers found that 113 of the 115 enrolled patients underwent timely surgery; two had surgery delayed by more than two weeks. In five patients (4 percent), grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events occurred; no patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. A pathological response occurred in 98 percent of the 111 patients included in the efficacy analysis, including 95 and 68 percent with a major pathological response and a pathological complete response, respectively (defined as ≤10 and 0 percent residual viable tumor). No patients had disease recurrence during a median follow-up of 26 months.
"The high proportion of patients with a pathological response observed after only four weeks of treatment in our study, together with the safety profile, may provide sufficient justification to provide immunotherapy to patients with radiographically assessed high-risk disease, especially if three-year disease-free survival data from this study are positive," the authors write.
The study was funded by Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of nivolumab and ipilimumab.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Multitarget Stool DNA Tests More Costly Than FIT for Colorectal Cancer Detection
WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 -- Multitarget stool DNA test (MSDT)- and next-generation MSDT (N-G MSDT)-based screening have higher costs per detected advanced neoplasia case or early...
Digestive Disease Week, May 3-6
Digestive Disease Week, the annual meeting sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for...
Early-Life Exposure to Certain Bacteria May Impact Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Incidence
TUESDAY, May 6, 2025 -- Early-life mutagenic exposure to colibactin-producing bacteria may be associated with the increased incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer, with...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.