In Britain, 32 patients had no bowel cancer recurrence for 33 months — ScienceDaily

In the United Kingdom, no recurrences were recorded among 32 patients with stage II or III bowel cancer during 33 months of follow-up in the NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial. Before surgery, participants received up to nine weeks of immunotherapy with pembrolizumab, ScienceDaily reports.

The study included 32 patients

The trial involved patients with deficient DNA mismatch repair and high microsatellite instability — dMMR/MSI-high. This genetic profile is found in approximately 10–15% of people with stage II or III bowel cancer.

Participants were recruited at five hospitals in the United Kingdom. Instead of the standard approach, which involves surgery followed by chemotherapy for three to six months, they received pembrolizumab before surgery.

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According to preliminary data, 59% of patients had no signs of a malignant tumor after immunotherapy and planned surgery. In patients who still had small disease sites, the cancer did not grow or spread during the follow-up period.

Blood test to assess response

The researchers also developed personalized blood tests to track tumor DNA. The disappearance of tumor DNA from the blood was closely associated with the absence of residual tumor after treatment.

The trial's lead investigator, Kai-Keen Shiu, an oncologist at the University College London Cancer Institute, said that the absence of recurrences over nearly three years of follow-up strengthens confidence in the safety and effectiveness of pembrolizumab for patients with high-risk bowel cancer. According to him, personalized blood tests and immune profiling could potentially help determine who needs less intensive therapy and who needs additional treatment.