ReviewCancers2025
Immunotherapy-Induced Complete Response in dMMR Rectal Cancer-A Surgical Dilemma?
Review in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDeficient mismatch repair rectal cancer represents approximately 10% of rectal malignancies and demonstrates exceptional responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors, achieving unprecedented complete response rates approaching 100%. This creates a novel clinical dilemma: should patients achieving complete response undergo standard surgical resection or pursue organ preservation through watch-and-wait management?
methodsWe conducted a comprehensive literature review of clinical trials and retrospective studies published through 2025, focusing on response assessment strategies, decision-making frameworks, oncological outcomes, and quality of life assessments.
resultsLandmark studies demonstrated remarkable efficacy with dostarlimab achieving 100% clinical complete response, while surgical cohorts achieved 68-92% pathological complete response rates. Response assessment challenges included pseudoprogression and pseudoresidue phenomena that complicated conventional imaging interpretation and required specialised multimodal evaluation protocols. Comparative analyses suggest equivalent oncological outcomes between surgical and non-surgical approaches in complete responders, achieving 100% disease-free survival at 2-3 years across multiple studies. The watch-and-wait approach offered significant advantages by preserving organ integrity and avoiding surgical morbidity, including permanent colostomy (15.4%) and perioperative complications (19.3%). Conversely, surgical management provided distinct benefits through definitive tissue confirmation and anxiety relief from intensive surveillance requirements and potential recurrence concerns.
conclusionsThe surgery versus watch-and-wait dilemma represents a choice between equally effective oncological approaches with different quality of life implications. Evidence supports individualised decision-making weighing functional preservation benefits against patient preferences and institutional capabilities in this evolving therapeutic landscape.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.