S. Yousuf Zafar, MD, associate professor of medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Recent data have shown that PD-1 inhibitors demonstrated activity in patients with mismatch repair-deficient metastatic CRC. These patients experienced a durable and significant response rate, Zafar adds. In terms of standard practice going forward, he questions how practitioners will incorporate immunotherapy into practice, if at all.

Zafar hopes that similar data from larger studies will be just as promising. However, practitioners should be reserved in integrating these therapies into patients’ treatment plans until stronger evidence exists.

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S. Yousuf Zafar, MD, associate professor of medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).


Dr. Zafar on the Potential of Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

S. Yousuf Zafar, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the potential link between low body mass index (BMI) and survival outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Researchers looked at a pooled analysis of five observational or phase IV studies of bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer. Their hypothesis was that a high BMI would correlate with reduced progression-free survival (PFS), explained Zafar. While no link between high BMI and PFS was found, a link between low BMI and reduced overall survival (OS) was determined.

This may be because very underweight patients are less able to tolerate subsequent therapies and did not receive optimal treatment, or because being extremely underweight has a greater impact on cancer outcomes than obesity, said Zafar. Further studies, potentially those focused just on those with low BMI, are needed, he said.

View more from the 2015 World GI Congress

S. Yousuf Zafar, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the potential link between low body mass index (BMI) and survival outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer.


S. Yousuf Zafar, MD

Articles

Dr. Zafar on the Potential of Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Zafar on Low BMI Impact on Colorectal Cancer Survival