Dr Sinicrope on CRC Abstracts to Watch at the 2026 ESMO Congress

“When you use a more intensive regimen, there’s more toxicity associated. Is the clinical benefit worth the additional toxicity that may be observed?”

Frank A. Sinicrope, MD, a professor of medicine and professor of oncology, a consultant in the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Oncology, and a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, discussed 2 colorectal cancer (CRC) studies he is interested to see presented at the 2026 ESMO Congress.

First, Sinicrope pointed to the phase 3 IROCAS study (NCT02967289) evaluating modified FOLFIRINOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) vs modified FOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) in the adjuvant setting in patients with high-risk stage III colon cancer, with a primary end point of 3-year disease-free survival. The trial examines whether more intensive chemotherapy is more effective in the high-risk stage III population, he explained. However, a more intensive regimen is associated with more toxicity, so the key question is whether the clinical benefit is worth the additional toxicity that is likely to be observed, Sinicrope noted.

Subsequently, he highlighted the phase 2 AZUR-1 (NCT05723562) trial, a global trial of dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) monotherapy in patients with locally advanced mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer. These data are important because earlier data evaluating dostarlimab in this patient population showed a high complete clinical response rate (cCR), he said. Because AZUR-1 is a global trial, the goal is to see whether those previously reported results hold up in that broader setting, Sinicrope explained.

Notably, data from AZUR-1 supported the October 19, 2026, FDA accelerated approval of dostarlimab for the treatment of adult patients with dMMR or microsatellite instability–high stage II or III locally advanced rectal cancer, as determined by an FDA-authorized test. In the single-arm study, the agent elicited a sustained cCR rate at 12 months of 47% (95% CI, 27%-56%) by independent central review among 116 evaluable patients, along with an overall response rate of 79% (95% CI, 71%-85%).