SynthesisThe oncologist2024
The Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in The oncologist, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Heating the Cold: Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Tumor-associated neutrophils and survival outcomes in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Vactosertib plus pembrolizumab in patients with non-microsatellite instability-high metastatic colorectal or gastric cancer: a multicenter, phase Ib/IIa study.Nature communications · 2026Trial
- Exploratory biomarkers for oxaliplatin-induced nivolumab responsiveness in metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer.British journal of cancer · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Efficacy and safety of regorafenib plus biweekly trifluridine/tipiracil for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer: a multicenter single-arm phase II trial.The oncologist · 2025Trial
- The efficacy and safety of suvemcitug, envafolimab, and FOLFIRI in microsatellite-stable or mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancer: preliminary results of a phase 2 study.International journal of colorectal disease · 2025Trial
- Prognostic risk modeling based on integrated multi-omics analysis identifies CRY2 as a key regulator in tumor immunity and patient survival in colorectal cancer.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- RNF43 p.G659fs leads to natural killer cell dysfunction in MSI-high colorectal cancer through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and HLA-E up-regulation.Science advances · 2026Article
- Cancer-associated fibroblasts drive immune resistance in MSS colorectal cancer via the FAIM2-CES1-ER stress pathway.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2026Article
- Review
- Clinical translation of an immunomodulatory cell therapy that is designed to convert "cold" tumors to "hot": A phase 2B trial in 3L MSS/pMMR metastatic colorectal cancer.Translational oncology · 2026Article
- Supermeres Containing the Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 Extracellular Domain Promote Collagen Alignment and Immune Exclusion in Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer.Cancer research communications · 2026Article
- Review
- Review
- KRASScience advances · 2026Article
- Article
- A Novel DRD2 Antagonist, SD2-2305, Exerts Anticancer Effects in Colorectal Cancer Cells through G1 Arrest and Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis.Biomolecules & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Harnessing the gut microbiome for improved immune checkpoint inhibition in colorectal cancer immunotherapy: a narrative Review.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2026Review
- Integrin α6-targeted photodynamic therapy potentiates PD-1 blockade in MSS colorectal cancer.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized cancer care, particularly in immune-inflamed tumors and tumors with a high mutational burden, like microsatellite instable colorectal cancer (CRC). However, their effectiveness in microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC is limited. This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs in MSS CRC and explore promising combination strategies. A comprehensive search from the Web of Science, Medline, and Embase databases, for studies published until 14 November 2022, identified 53 clinical trials included in the review. ICI monotherapy or ICI-ICI combinations demonstrated limited clinical activity for patients with MSS CRC, with overall response rates below (ORR) 10% in most studies. The ICI and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) garnered ORRs ranging from 10% to 40% and indicated a higher benefit for patients, particularly those without active liver metastases. The combination of ICIs with anti-VEGF agents showed modest ORRs, especially in the earlier treatment lines and in combination with chemotherapy. While these combinations could lead to modest improvements, well-defined biomarkers for long-term benefit are yet to be delineated. Combinations involving BRAF inhibitors with ICIs were studied, showing promising responses with combination approaches in molecularly defined subgroups. In conclusion, while ICI monotherapy has limited efficacy in MSS CRC, combination strategies hold promise to enhance survival outcomes. Further research is necessary to identify optimal combination approaches, predictive biomarkers for treatment response, as well as enrollment according to tumor molecular characteristics.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.