Dr. Ahn on the Identification of NTRK Alterations in CRC

Daniel H. Ahn, DO, an oncologist, internist, and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses the identification of NTRK alterations in colorectal cancer (CRC).

About 2% of patients with metastatic CRC harbor ​an NTRK fusion, whereas around 5% of patients have microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) ​disease, says Ahn.

As such, ongoing research efforts in CRC are focused on predicting which patients are likely to haveNTRK fusions. ​

As displayed in prior research, approximately 50% of patients with ​NTRK fusion–positive CRC are MSI-H​, says Ahn. Additionally, around 50% of patients who do not have MLH1 hypermethylation and have BRAF wild-type disease also harbor NTRK fusions. 

Ultimately, understanding which patients are likely to harbor ​NTRK fusions will increase the likelihood of identifying NTRK alterations early on, Ahn conclude