ASCO GI Symposium – Colorectal Cancer Updates
The 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from January 23 to 25 in San Francisco, showcased several significant advancements in colorectal cancer research and treatment.
Checkmate-8HW Trial: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab Demonstrates Improved Outcomes Over Standard Therapies For MSI-H/dMMR Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
What is CheckMate-8HW?
A phase 3 trial that tested nivolumab alone versus nivolumab + ipilimumab (a dual-immunotherapy combo) in any treatment line for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with MSI-H/dMMR (a specific genetic subtype that responds well to immunotherapy).
Key Findings:
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- After nearly 4 years of follow-up, the dual immunotherapy combo (nivolumab + ipilimumab) reduced the risk of cancer progression or death by 38% compared to nivolumab alone.
- This builds on earlier data showing the combo is better than chemotherapy for first-line treatment of MSI-H/dMMR mCRC.
Side Effects:
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- The combination therapy had more side effects than nivolumab alone:
- 22% of patients on the combo had severe (grade 3/4) side effects.
- 14% of patients on nivolumab alone had severe side effects.
- The combination therapy had more side effects than nivolumab alone:
Takeaway:
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- The dual-immunotherapy combo is a promising option for MSI-H/dMMR mCRC, but emphasis on toxicity management remains.
Colorectal Cancer Canada will be preparing a patient and caregiver input submission in February to Canada’s Drug Agency as part of drug reimbursement review to support public access to this immunotherapy combination for Canadians.
#GI25 #mCRC
