Dr. Dung Le on Biomarker for PD-1 Agents in CRC

Dung T. Le, MD, assistant professor of oncology, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a biomarker for PD-1 agents in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Le discusses a study that examined the PD-1 blockade of tumors with mismatch repair deficiency. These specific tumors have mutations that could potentially be recognizable by the immune system, she says.

The study included three cohorts: colorectal cancer tumors with mismatch repair deficiency, colorectal cancer tumors with mismatch repair proficiency, and any tumor type with mismatch repair deficiency. Researchers saw that responses were restricted to mismatch repair deficiency, with a 62% response rate in the cohort of patients with CRC. The cohort with mismatch repair proficiency had a 0% response rate, while the third cohort with any tumor type had a 16% response rate. These were durable responses, Le says.