Dr. Overman on Ongoing Research With Immunotherapy in Microsatellite Stable CRC

Michael J. Overman, MD, professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology of the Division of Cancer Medicine and committee vice chair at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses ongoing research with immunotherapy in microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC).

The vast majority of patients with CRC are proficient in mismatch repair, says Overman. These patients have a high unmet need. Although immunotherapy has not shown a lot of success in patients with MSS tumors, an abundance of research is being done to decipher the complex microenvironment and bring this therapy to patients.

One of the more encouraging preliminary combinations in this space is regorafenib (Stivarga) and nivolumab (Opdivo), says Overman. Updated data, which were presented at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, are encouraging. However, the study results need to be validated before the combination is made available to patients, concludes Overman.