At the 2025 ASCO GI Spotlight, Dr. Anita Turk, a medical oncologist at IU Health, highlighted promising developments in colorectal cancer treatment, particularly in the adjuvant immunotherapy space. She emphasized the significance of the ATOMIC trial (NCT02912559) in demonstrating the curative potential of immunotherapy and discussed the ongoing BREAKWATER trial (NCT04607421), which explores the addition of encorafenib and cetuximab to chemotherapy for BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer.
Dr. Turk also expressed optimism about emerging immunotherapy combinations showing early activity in metastatic colorectal cancer, including in patients with traditionally resistant MMR-proficient or microsatellite-stable tumors. These developments reflect a shift toward more effective, personalized systemic treatments in colorectal cancer care.