Phase 2 study of neoadjuvant sintilimab for mismatch repair-deficient, locally advanced rectal cancer

The current standard treatment for localy advanced rectal cancer is neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery, but this approach can lead to multiple complications. A phase 2 study at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China) evaluated neoadjuvant sintilimab (anti-PD-1) in patients with mismatch repair-deficient, locally advanced rectal cancer. The preliminary results of the study suggest that neoadjuvant sintilimab is effective and tolerable for patients with mismatch repair-deficient, locally advanced rectal cancer and could potentially avoid radical surgery in some patients.