ASCO GI 2022 | The rationale for combining regorafenib with IO to treat patients with refractory MSS-CRC

Afsaneh Barzi, MD, PhD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, discusses the rationale for the Phase I/II study (NCT03657641) investigating regorafenib and pembrolizumab for the treatment of patients with refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are non-functional in the majority of patients with colorectal cancer, in particular in patients with microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor, regorafenib, has shown activity in patients following failure with chemotherapy. Dr. Barzi explains how regorafenib can potentially restructure the tumor microenvironment, rendering the tumor vulnerable to immunotherapy. This interview took place at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2022.