All participants in a trial of bowel cancer patients remain cancer-free almost three years after receiving an experimental treatment.
The study, led by researchers at University College London and UCL Hospitals, suggests that for some patients, a short course of immunotherapy before surgery may produce better results than the current standard of care.
The trial focused on 32 patients with stage 2 or 3 bowel cancer. The patients’ tumors had a specific genetic profile called MMR-deficient or MSI-high, according to the release.
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The researchers noted that this condition is present in about 10 to 15 percent of bowel cancer cases and indicates a defect in the body’s DNA repair system. However, scientists speculate that this could make it easier for immunotherapy drugs to find and attack tumors.
The drug shrunk tumors so effectively that 59% of patients were left with no signs of cancer after surgery.
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Instead of standard chemotherapy, these patients received a drug called pembrolizumab before surgery. Treatment lasts up to nine weeks.
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Early data shows the drug is so effective at shrinking tumors that 59% of patients had no signs of cancer left by the time they had surgery.
The latest data confirms that after 33 months, none of the patients, including those who still had a small amount of cancer remaining after surgery and had never grown or spread again, had their disease return.
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“After nearly three years of follow-up, it is very encouraging to see that no patients have experienced cancer recurrence, which strengthens our confidence that pembrolizumab is a safe and highly effective treatment that can improve outcomes for patients with high-risk bowel cancer,” lead researcher Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu, consultant medical oncology and associate professor at University College London Hospital (UCLH), said in a press release.
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Studies show that with the traditional approach of surgery followed by chemotherapy, about 25% of patients with this genetic signature will have their cancer return within three years.
The study was a small trial, involving only 32 people, and only looked at a specific subset of patients’ genes.
The research team also used personalized blood tests to monitor patients. These tests look for tiny fragments of tumor DNA in the blood, allowing doctors to determine whether treatment is working before surgery.
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“When tumor DNA disappears from the blood, patients are more likely to have no residual cancer, which is consistent with the long-term results we are seeing now,” first author Yanrong Jiang, a clinical doctoral student at UCL Cancer Institute, said in a press release.
The researchers noted that the study did have limitations. It was a small trial of just 32 people and only looked at a specific subset of patients’ genes, meaning the results may not apply to everyone with bowel cancer.
“We may now be able to predict who will respond to treatment through personalized blood tests and immunoassays,” said a member of the research team.
Doctors also need to follow patients longer to ensure the cancer does not return, they added.
Even so, researchers are optimistic about the future of personalized care.
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“What’s particularly exciting is that we may now be able to predict who will respond to treatment through personalized blood tests and immune profiling,” Shiu said.
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“These tools can help us tailor our approach to identify patients who are doing well and may need less treatment before and after surgery.”
The findings were presented last month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Original source of the article: Nearly 3 years after receiving experimental immunotherapy, patient remains cancer-free
