Adding immunotherapy to intensive chemotherapy shows promise in hard-to-treat colorectal cancer

◆ TRIAL DATA

Adding immunotherapy to intensive chemotherapy shows promise in hard-to-treat colorectal cancer — Nature Communications

The phase II NIVACOR trial tested nivolumab (an immunotherapy drug) combined with FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with RAS or BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. These mutations are found in tumors that typically don't respond well to immunotherapy alone. The study enrolled patients whose tumors were proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) or microsatellite stable (MSS) — the majority of colorectal cancers that are generally resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors.