Dr. Ahn on the KEYNOTE-177 Trial in Newly Diagnosed MSI-H/dMMR mCRC

Daniel H. Ahn, DO, an oncologist, internist, and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses ​updated findings from the ​phase 3 KEYNOTE-177 trial in patients with newly diagnosed microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Recently, the field of mCRC has moved toward implementing less chemotherapy-intensive treatment regimens, says Ahn. Moreover, at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program and the 2020 ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer, ​data​ regarding targeted therapies and combination strategies were presented.

Findings from the KEYNOTE-177 trial demonstrated a doubling of progression-free survival (PFS) with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) compared with physician’s choice chemotherapy in patients with treatment-naïve, MSI-H/dMMR mCRC, says Ahn. Median overall survival will continue to be evaluated as the data mature.

On June 29, 2020, the FDA approved pembrolizumab for the frontline treatment of patients with MSI-H/dMMR unresectable or metastatic CRC based on the findings from the KEYNOTE-177 study, concludes Ahn.