Dr. Fakih on Durvalumab and Tremelimumab in CRC

Marwan Fakih, MD, professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, associate director for Clinical Investigations, Comprehensive Cancer Center, medical director, Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Clinical Research, co-director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, and section head, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, City of Hope, discusses the combination of durvalumab (Imfinzi) and tremelimumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Based on phase II results presented at the 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, the combination of durvalumab and tremelimumab plus best supportive care induced a 2.5-month extension in overall survival (OS) compared with supportive care alone. Patients enrolled in the immunotherapy doublet arm experienced an OS of 6.6 months versus those in the supportive care arm who experienced an OS of 4.1 months (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72; 90% CI, 0.54-0.97; P = .07).

Although the study demonstrated a modest benefit in survival improvement, the data indicate that mCRC is not necessarily a “cold tumor,” says Fakih, warranting further exploration into the use of immunotherapy in this setting.