Could a lower dose of immunotherapy shrink colorectal tumors before surgery?
NCT ID NCT07523763
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether low doses of the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab or pembrolizumab can shrink tumors in people with a specific genetic type of colorectal cancer (MSI/dMMR) before they have surgery. The study involves 30 participants with stage II-III disease who will receive treatment for 6 months. The main goal is to see if the cancer disappears completely or shows a lasting response.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- nivolumab or pembrolizumab (low-dose immunotherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a less toxic, pre-surgery treatment option for certain colorectal cancers, potentially avoiding more aggressive therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Low doses might be less effective, and side effects from immunotherapy are still possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Mar 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Availability of voluntarily signed informed consent from the patient * Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum; * Locally advanced tumor - cT3-4N0-2M0 according to CT for tumors of the colon and sigmoid colon; cT3 with a depth of tissue invasion ≥5mm (cT2N0 and higher for lower ampullary cancer) or T4 or involvement of the lateral resection margins according to MRI for rectal cancer; * Presence of MSI/dMMR in the tumor; * ECOG 0-2; * No contraindications to surgical treatment of malignancy Exclusion Criteria: * Previous therapy with the inclusion of monoclonal antibodies - anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, anti PD-L2, anti-CTLA4 antibodies and other immunotherapy drugs * The presence of any other malignant tumor, with the exception of radically treated basal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ, currently or within 5 years before inclusion in the study * Pregnant and lactating women, as well as planning pregnancy during the period of therapy in a clinical trial and 6 months after the end of therapy * Patients with preserved reproductive potential who refuse to use adequate methods of contraception throughout the study and 6 months after the end of therapy or who agree to abstain from heterosexual contact. * Previous systemic therapy with immunosuppressive drugs (including, but not limited to: prednisone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, thalidomide and TNF \[tumor necrosis factor\] antagonists) within 4 weeks before signing the informed consent form, or the need to use immunosuppressive therapy in during the first year of the study. * The use of systemic glucocorticosteroids (GCS) in replacement doses (for example, in a dose equivalent to 10 mg of prednisolone per day or less), short-term use of systemic GCS (≤7 days), inhaled and topical GCS are allowed. * Active, known or suspected autoimmune diseases (patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism requiring only hormone replacement therapy, as well as autoimmune diseases with only skin manifestations \[for example, vitiligo, alopecia or psoriasis without symptoms of psoriatic arthritis\] are allowed to participate), that do not require systemic therapy); * Patients with HIV infection, active hepatitis B, active hepatitis C. * Life expectancy less than 6 months. * The presence of a disease or condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, prevents the patient from participating in the study. * Complicated course of the primary tumor, requiring urgent surgical intervention. * Previously performed radiation or chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, with the exception of cases of metachronous tumors over 5 years ago; * Persistence, progression or recurrence of the underlying disease or the presence of distant metastases * Conditions limiting the patient's ability to comply with the requirements of the protocol (in the opinion of the investigator); * Vaccination with live vaccines within 28 days before randomization; * Participation in other interventional clinical trials less than 30 days before randomization (except in cases of dropout before the introduction of study therapy) and while participating in an ongoing clinical trial; * Significant adverse events from previous therapy, with the exception of chronic and/or irreversible events that cannot influence the assessment of the safety of the study therapy (for example, alopecia); * Hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to the administration of drugs manufactured using Chinese hamster ovary cells, severe allergic reactions, anaphylaxis or other hypersensitivity reactions to chimeric or humanized antibodies, or any of the components of the study drug.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
N.N. Blokhin NMRCO
Moscow, Russia
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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