Dr Kim on the Safety of NT-17 Plus Pembrolizumab in Pretreated CRC and PDAC

Richard Kim, MD, chief, Medical Gastrointestinal Oncology, senior member, Gastrointestinal Oncology Department, Moffitt Cancer Center; professor, oncology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, discusses next steps for evaluating the long-acting interleukin-7 NT-17 in patients with pretreated microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). 

Updated findings from a phase 2a trial (NCT04332653) investigating NT-I7 in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) showed modest response rates per RECIST 1.1 and iRECIST criteria in patients with pretreated MSS CRC and PDAC. Within the MSS CRC (n = 50) and PDAC cohorts (n = 48), 3 patients from each group achieved partial responses (PR) based on iRECIST criteria. Although the response rates were not as high as hoped, these findings mark a step forward in exploring new therapeutic avenues for these difficult-to-treat cancers, Kim begins.

In terms of safety, the combination of NT-I7 and pembrolizumab did not lead to any unexpected adverse effects (AEs), Kim details. The most common AE reported was related to injection site reactions, a manageable issue in most immunotherapies. Other AEs were consistent with those typically associated with immunotherapy agents like pembrolizumab, with no significant new safety concerns emerging, Kim notes. This is an encouraging sign for the safety profile of the combination, suggesting that adding NT-I7 does not increase toxicity beyond what is usually seen with immunotherapy, Kim explains.

Although overall survival outcomes were promising, limited response rates with the combination indicate that further research is needed to better understand which patients are most likely to benefit from this regimen, Kim emphasizes. Identifying potential biomarkers that can predict responses to this combination therapy could refine patient selection, thereby optimizing the clinical benefit of NT-I7 and pembrolizumab in MSS CRC and PDAC, he concludes.