Colorectal Cancer

Howard Hochster, MD, FACP, associate director for clinical research and director, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, director of oncology research, RWJBarnabas Health, discusses the safety analysis of TAS-102 in metastatic colorectal cancer and metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer.

Christopher Lieu, MD, director, GI Medical Oncology Program and deputy associated director for clinical research, at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, discusses the rationale for combined MEK, VEGF, and PD-1 inhibition in microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC).

Wells A. Messersmith, MD, co-leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program, and director, GI Cancer Program, and professor of medicine, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, discusses the need for biomarkers to distinguish between VEGF inhibitors in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Pashtoon M. Kasi, MBBS, MD, MS, hematologist, internist, oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the comparison of circulating tumor DNA tests, tissue, and liquid biopsies, in a study of patients with colorectal cancer.

Christopher Lieu, MD, director, GI Medical Oncology Program and deputy associate director for clinical research, at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, discusses the predictive value of BRAF V600E mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Shota Fukuoka, MD, physician, National Cancer Center in Japan, discusses finding the recommended dosage of regorafenib plus nivolumab in patients with advanced gastric cancer or colorectal cancer.

Wells A. Messersmith, MD, co-leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program, and director, GI Cancer Program, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, discusses the rise of molecular testing in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

The combination of regorafenib and nivolumab will be compared with regorafenib alone in a phase III trial of patients with microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, following encouraging phase Ib findings of the REGONIVO study.

During an OncologyLive Peer Exchange, the panelists discuss some of the challenges they face when conducting molecular testing, including determining which patients to test, when to test, and how to test to ensure that no golden tickets, such as NTRK gene fusions, are missed. They also discuss the data surrounding TRK inhibitors and their experiences using these agents.

Now, investigators are combining BRAF inhibitors with other targeted therapies in an effort to establish a new chemotherapy-free standard in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.