NEOPRISM-CRC Trial Shows Promise: Immunotherapy Before Surgery Eliminates Recurrence in Bowel Cancer Patients
The NEOPRISM-CRC trial has yielded striking results for certain bowel cancer patients. Thirty-two patients with a specific genetic form of stage two or three bowel cancer received pembrolizumab for up to nine weeks prior to surgery, replacing the conventional approach of post-surgical chemotherapy.
After nearly three years of follow-up, none of the patients experienced cancer recurrence—including those who still had small traces of disease detectable after the immunotherapy phase. The findings suggest that pre-surgical immunotherapy may offer durable protection for patients with this genetic subtype of bowel cancer.
The trial represents an early-phase study, and further research will be needed to confirm these results and establish which patients are most likely to benefit from this approach.