A new immunotherapy treatment has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help reduce the risk of colon cancer coming back after surgery in patients with a specific type of the disease called deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) stage III colon cancer. This treatment combines the immunotherapy drug Tecentriq (atezolizumab) with chemotherapy drugs such as a fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin. It is the first approved immunotherapy-based treatment for this group of patients after surgery.
The FDA’s decision is based on strong clinical evidence showing that this combination therapy can significantly lower the risk of the cancer returning or worsening. According to Dr. Frank Sinicrope, an Oncology Professor at the Mayo Clinic and lead researcher for the Phase III ATOMIC study, this new treatment reduces the risk of disease recurrence or death by 50 percent compared to standard chemotherapy alone. This is a major improvement for patients with stage III dMMR colon cancer, which is one of the most common types of colon cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Until now, the standard treatment after surgery for stage III colon cancer did not consider whether the cancer was dMMR or not. This new treatment specifically targets the biological makeup of dMMR colon cancer, making it a more effective option for these patients. Dr. Sinicrope stated that this approval is a significant step forward in using immunotherapy to treat this type of cancer after surgery.
Dr. Levi Garraway, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development, added that this approval provides a much-needed new treatment option for patients with stage III dMMR colon cancer who are at high risk of their cancer coming back. He believes this combination therapy has the potential to become the new standard of care for these patients.
This is the twelfth approval for Tecentriq in the U.S., and it represents an important advance in treating this common and serious type of colon cancer.