A recent clinical trial, the NEOPRISM-CRC study, has indicated that administering immunotherapy prior to surgery may significantly enhance outcomes for certain colorectal cancer patients. Conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH), the trial focused on patients with stage two or three colorectal cancer who received a brief course of treatment with pembrolizumab before surgical intervention.
Initial findings revealed that 59% of participants had no detectable cancer post-treatment and surgery. After a follow-up period of 33 months, none of the patients have experienced a cancer recurrence, including those with some residual cancer that did not progress.
In contrast, standard treatment typically involves surgery followed by chemotherapy, with about 25% of patients seeing their cancer return within three years. The results from NEOPRISM-CRC suggest that initiating treatment with immunotherapy might provide more durable protection against recurrence.
To better understand treatment efficacy, researchers analyzed blood samples to create personalized tests that detect lingering cancer DNA in patients’ bloodstreams. These tests could potentially allow doctors to assess treatment success early on.
The trial included 32 patients with a specific genetic subtype of colorectal cancer, accounting for approximately 10-15% of cases in the UK. Participants received pembrolizumab for up to nine weeks before surgery, diverging from the conventional approach of postoperative chemotherapy.
Moreover, the study offered insights into why immunotherapy yields such lasting results, with findings suggesting that the absence of tumor DNA in the blood correlates with long-term cancer-free status. Results from the NEOPRISM-CRC trial were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026, highlighting the collaborative efforts of multiple UK hospitals and a biotechnology firm involved in the analysis.