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Douglas Flora

May 3, 2025, 21:10

Douglas Flora Highlights MSKCC Immunotherapy Trial for MMRd Tumors at AACR 2025

Douglas Flora, President-Elect at Association of Cancer Care Centers, shared on LinkedIn:

“Significant Findings Presented at AACR 2025: Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Organ Preservation in MMRd Tumors

Sharing compelling results from the AACR Annual Meeting presented by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Congratulations to Drs. Andrea Cercek, Luis Diaz Jr., and their teams on this important work, also published in NEJM.

Their Phase 2 trial investigated neoadjuvant immunotherapy (dostarlimab) for locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) solid tumors. The outcomes are noteworthy: 80% of patients across various tumor types achieved a response allowing them to avoid surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy after six months of treatment. Notably, this included a 100% complete clinical response rate among the 49 rectal cancer patients.

These findings suggest a potential paradigm shift, offering a path towards organ preservation and significantly improved quality of life for patients with MMRd cancers, potentially replacing more morbid standard therapies. This represents a significant step forward in developing less invasive, highly effective treatment strategies for MMRd cancers.

The study also highlighted the utility of advanced diagnostics. ctDNA monitoring proved effective for tracking therapeutic response in near real-time, identifying complete responses rapidly (median 1.4 months), which has clear implications for treatment assessment, especially in the neoadjuvant setting. Another compelling application of AI in Precision Oncology!

This progress is powerful to me for a few reasons: It shows power of targeted immunotherapy and precision monitoring. I think post-ASCO, that MRD and ctDNA are going to be finally embraced with real enthusiasm, IMO overdue.

Also important to call out the crucial support from funders (Swim Across America, Stand Up To Cancer and of course, the NIH/NCI–especially given proposed cuts at the federal level.) Investing in good science has profound implications on lives and total costs of cancer care.”

Douglas Flora