Targeted Therapy Combined with Immunotherapy Shows Promising Results for Late-Line Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Strategic Insights -

A recent study conducted by researchers at Jilin Cancer Hospital in Changchun, China, has shed new light on the effectiveness of targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy in treating patients with late-line metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The study, published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, compared the outcomes of two common therapies for patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) mCRC: targeted therapy (TP) combined with anti-programmed cell death 1 immunotherapy (TP), and trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) combined with bevacizumab (TB).

Key Takeaways:

  • The study recruited 127 patients with MSS mCRC who had received at least the second line treatment, with 88 patients assigned to the TP cohort and 39 patients assigned to the TB cohort.
  • The crude median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.9 months in the TP cohort and 4.17 months in the TB cohort, with a nonsignificant hazard ratio (HR) of 1.43 in favor of TB.
  • Multivariate Cox regression analysis, adjusted for baseline characteristics, demonstrated an adjusted HR of 1.23 in favor of TB.
  • Propensity score-based analyses using three methodologies revealed consistent nonsignificant trends favoring TB, with HRs for TP ranging from 1.26 to 1.42.
  • Landmark PFS analyses at 90, 120, and 150 days showed a significantly higher proportion of TP patients maintaining disease control beyond these timepoints, suggesting sustained clinical benefits in TP responders.
  • The study concluded that for patients with MSS mCRC who respond to TP therapy, this regimen could provide additional prolonged clinical benefits.

Statistics:

  • 127 patients were enrolled in the study, with 88 assigned to the TP cohort and 39 assigned to the TB cohort.
  • The crude median PFS was 3.9 months in the TP cohort and 4.17 months in the TB cohort.
  • The adjusted HR for multivariate Cox regression analysis was 1.23 in favor of TB.
  • The HRs for propensity score-based analyses ranged from 1.26 to 1.42 in favor of TB.
  • The proportion of TP patients maintaining disease control beyond 90, 120, and 150 days was 58.2%, 53.8%, and 48.9%, respectively.

Sources:

  • World Journal of Gastroenterology (2025; 31(29): 109947)
  • NewsRx LLC (Cancer Weekly, August 26, 2025; p 5858)
  • Jilin Cancer Hospital (Changchun, People's Republic of China)
  • Xiao-Yan Wang, Dept. of Pharmacy, Jilin Cancer Hospital (Changchun 130012, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China)
  • Zhao Gao, Tao Song, Zhi-Gang Shen, Xiao-Yun Wang, Shi-Kai Wu, and Xuan Jin (additional authors)