An Immunotherapy Could Help Some Rectal Cancer Patients Avoid Surgery, Radiation and Chemotherapy

In a 154-person Phase II study, dostarlimab produced sustained disappearance of detectable tumors for at least a year in a clinically meaningful share of patients with a rare, biomarker-defined form of locally advanced rectal cancer. The prospect of avoiding life-altering surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is remarkable—but exact response data remain unpublished, the trial had no control group, and the drug is not approved for rectal cancer.