Dr. Jones on the Clinical Utility of Pembrolizumab in MSI-H CRC

Jeremy C. Jones, MD, hematologist/oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the clinical utility of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC).

Prior to the June 2020 FDA approval of pembrolizumab for the frontline treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic MSI-H or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) CRC, the agent was widely utilized off-label for this patient population, says Jones. Since the FDA approval, the agent is now a standard of care treatment for patients with MSI-H or dMMR CRC, Jones adds.

Moreover, checkpoint inhibitors in combination with TKIs have been evaluated for patients with microsatellite stable disease, but did not demonstrate significant efficacy, Jones concludes.