New ESMO data continue to challenge the role of chemotherapy in localized MSI-high colorectal cancer, with neoadjuvant immunotherapy showing striking, potentially practice-changing outcomes compared with historical chemo-based approaches. Dr. Jonathan Mizrahi and Dr. Jun Gong explore how results from NICHÉ-2 and comparisons with FOxTROT suggest immunotherapy may become the preferred upfront strategy, while also addressing the real-world challenges of accurate clinical staging. Updated findings from DESTINY-CRC02 further refine targeted treatment for HER2-positive disease, identifying safer, effective dosing for trastuzumab deruxtecan. Together, these studies signal a major shift toward precision-driven, biomarker-guided care across colorectal cancer stages.
Contributors:
Dr. Jonathan Mizrahi is a medical oncologist with Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Jun Gong is an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California.
