Medicine

Immunotherapy Before Surgery Doubles Survival in Rare Colon Cancer Type

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ImmunotherapyMismatch repair de…Neoadjuvant therapy

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The NICHE-2 trial investigated neoadjuvant immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colon cancer in the Netherlands. Results showed that patients treated with this immunotherapy combination before surgery achieved 100% disease-free survival at 3 years and 100% overall survival at 5 years. These outcomes suggest that neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab could become a standard treatment approach for this patient population.


This finding could transform treatment for patients with dMMR colon cancer by potentially avoiding or reducing the need for surgery and chemotherapy while achieving excellent survival outcomes. The results may establish immunotherapy as a first-line treatment option for this specific subset of colon cancer patients, improving quality of life and long-term prognosis.


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Immunotherapy 79 articles Explore Concept → Mismatch repair deficiency Concept coming soon Neoadjuvant therapy Concept coming soon

In patients with locally advanced dMMR colon cancer, treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab before surgery resulted in a 3-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival of 100%. These findings support neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab as a potential standard of care for patients with locally advanced dMMR colon cancer.

Source: [Articles] Disease-free survival and overall survival after neoadjuvant immunotherapy in mismatch repair-deficient colon cancer in the Netherlands: results of the single-arm, multicentre, phase 2, NICHE-2 trial