The CRC Digest

Curated CRC research — accessible, accurate, actionable

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

2 min read

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IMPORTANT: The CRC Digest curates and summarizes publicly available research for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendation. The information provided should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment. Content is generated with AI assistance and reviewed by the editorial team. We are not medical professionals. Individual results, treatments, and outcomes vary.

CRC Research Update

• ◆ Phase II NIVACOR trial tests immunotherapy plus intensive chemotherapy in RAS/BRAF-mutated mCRC

  The trial evaluated nivolumab combined with FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab as first-line treatment for patients with advanced RAS or BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer, a population where immunotherapy typically shows limited efficacy. Results include efficacy, safety, and biomarker discovery data. (Nature Communications)

• ◇ Autophagy inhibition may improve PD-1 blockade in pMMR colorectal cancer

  Preclinical research shows that blocking autophagy enhances the effectiveness of PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) colorectal cancer, a subtype that typically does not respond well to immunotherapy alone. (Cancer Genetics)

• ▪ Multimodal stool RNA test shows promise for detecting advanced precancerous lesions and CRC

  A novel non-invasive test combining five messenger RNA biomarkers with a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) demonstrated clinical performance for detecting both colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous lesions in a validation study. (Cancer Prevention Research)

• ◇ Deep learning predicts mismatch repair deficiency from colorectal cancer tissue images

  Researchers developed a deep-learning approach that identifies DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) from histopathology slides, including analysis of non-tumor and low-magnification regions, potentially offering a faster alternative to conventional DNA testing. (Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine)

These findings represent ongoing efforts to personalize treatment and improve early detection across the colorectal cancer spectrum.