ASCO 2015: highlights in colorectal cancer

Two “first-in” studies of colorectal liver metastases were highlighted at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting: the first prospective randomized trial to evaluate radiofrequency ablation plus chemotherapy [J Clin Oncol 33] and the first large randomized phase III trial to study liver-directed selective internal radiation therapy [J Clin Oncol 33]. Radiofrequency ablation plus chemotherapy appeared to have clear benefit in this setting, whereas the results for selective internal radiotherapy in first-line therapy are currently less conclusive. Colorectal tumors that lacked the ability to repair DNA—or mismatch repair-deficient tumors—were found to be highly responsive to checkpoint blockade with the anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) drug pembrolizumab, according to data from a phase II study [J Clin Onco 33]. Taregetd therapy with dual blockade of HER2/Neu with Trastuzumab and Lapatinib proved successful in in previously treated patients with HER2/Neu-positive tumors [J Clin Oncol 33].