Colorectal Cancer and Immunotherapy with Dr. Scott Kopetz

While colorectal cancer rates are dropping overall, a worrying trend is emerging: cases are rising in adults between the ages of 20-50. Given the necessity of early detection for current treatments, there is a growing need for effective treatments for advanced cases. Immunotherapy for colorectal cancer can be effective, especially in cases where tumors show high microsatellite instability.

00:00 – Welcome from Tamron Hall
00:50 – Overview of Colorectal Cancer
02:56 – The Promise of Immunotherapy
04:17 – Live Q&A

Join medical oncologist Dr. Scott Kopetz, the vice chair for translational research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, for a discussion of biomarkers, immunotherapies, and what patients with colorectal cancer need to know.

Dr. Kopetz provides an overview of the characteristics of colorectal cancer, differentiating between microsatellite stable tumors (MSS) verses microsatellite instability-high tumors (MSI-H). He shows how colorectal cancer tumors with a higher mutational burden (TMB-H) are more prone to immune attack (and can even, potentially, be cured by immunotherapy). He reviews available immunotherapies for colorectal cancers like checkpoint inhibitors and targeted antibodies, and explores promising immunotherapy research for colorectal cancer. Some promising research includes understanding the role of the microbiome in impacting a patient’s response to immunotherapy as well as understanding how biomarkers can be used to determine the best course of treatment for a cancer patient.

Dr. Kopetz then answers questions from the audience, including:
- Are there any promising clinical trials for colorectal cancer?
- Do I have to get chemotherapy before I can get immunotherapy? Can I take them together?
- How long have you had patients on maintenance treatment?
- How do you determine if you are MSI-H? And are those types of tests given to every cancer patient?
- What is the difference between genomic sequencing and genetic testing?
- What is Lynch syndrome? What types of cancer should I be screened for, aside from colorectal cancer?
- Is immunotherapy the recommended treatment for cancers caused by Lynch syndrome?
- Why are younger people developing colorectal cancer?
- I would like to understand how immunotherapy patients handle Covid-19 in general and specifically colorectal cancer patients being treated on immunotherapy.
- Have there been any studies on the potential risks or benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine?
- What is the microbiome and do we know that role it plays in cancer immunotherapy?
- What can be done to improve your microbiome? Does nutrition play a role? What about fecal transplants?


Dr. Scott Kopetz is a board-certified medical oncologist in the gastrointestinal medical oncology department and vice chair for translational research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is committed to the multidisciplinary care of and translational research for GI cancer patients. His laboratory research is supported by multiple NIH-funded grants, and he serves as the principal investigator on multiple studies. At MD Anderson Cancer Center he leads the Colorectal Cancer Moonshot program, which provides seed funding to help translate promising ideas from the lab to the clinic, with the goal of improving patient outcomes in the near term. Dr. Kopetz is also the leader of the Gastrointestinal Program of the Cancer Center Support Grant, chair of the Colon Cancer Task Force, and vice chair for Colon Cancer in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABBP)/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTG)/Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) (NRG) Cooperative Group.

Cancer Research Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under EIN 13-1837442. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.

[dontwannabu]

I was in one of these clinical trials. Stage IV colon cancer failed on all treatments. I completed a stage 1 trial with pembromizulab and alimta and it worked.

[renelynn]

I have just been diagnosed with rectal cancer, can I get help and from who?

[tanteckseng]

can immunotherapy killed cancer cells that spread outside the colon?