PHILADELPHIA - GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: LON:GSK) has shared updated results from a phase II study conducted in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, showcasing a 100% clinical complete response rate in patients treated with Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) for dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer. The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting held in Chicago.
The study involved 42 patients who demonstrated complete pathologic response or no evidence of tumors, as assessed by various medical examinations, after completing treatment with dostarlimab-gxly. This drug serves as a first-line treatment alternative to surgery in this patient population. The initial cohort of 24 patients showed sustained clinical complete responses over a median follow-up period of 26.3 months.
Currently, the standard of care for dMMR/microsatellite instability-high rectal cancer includes chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. These treatments often result in long-term adverse effects, negatively impacting patients' quality of life.
The potential of dostarlimab-gxly as a new treatment option is particularly significant as it could lead to complete tumor regression without the need for invasive procedures that carry the risk of such long-term consequences.
Dr. Andrea Cercek, the study's principal investigator from MSK, highlighted the importance of these findings, which suggest a novel approach to treating locally advanced dMMR rectal cancer with durable results and without life-altering standard treatments.
The safety profile of dostarlimab-gxly was consistent with previous knowledge, with no reported adverse events of grade 3 or higher in this trial. While the drug is not yet approved for the frontline treatment of locally advanced dMMR rectal cancer, GSK is conducting additional registrational studies through the AZUR clinical trial program to further investigate its efficacy and safety in various stages of dMMR/MSI-H colorectal cancer.
Rectal cancer is a type of colorectal cancer that begins in the rectum. dMMR/MSI-H rectal cancers, which account for 5-10% of all rectal cancers, have abnormalities in DNA repair mechanisms, making them potentially responsive to immune checkpoint blockade therapies like PD-1 inhibitors.
The information for this article is based on a press release statement.
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