Dr. Barzi on Utilizing VEGF Inhibitors Plus Immunotherapy in MSS mCRC

Afsaneh Barzi, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, director, Employer Strategy (AccessHope), associate professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, discusses the combination of VEGF inhibitors and immunotherapy in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Finding appropriate treatment combinations is important for patients with MSS mCRC since immunotherapy has not proved beneficial or effective, Barzi says. These combinations could make tumors sensitive to immunotherapy, Barzi adds. The utilization of a VEGF inhibitor plus immunotherapy represents 1 intriguing combination, Barzi explains.

Specifically, regorafenib (Stivarga) is a multi-kinase inhibitor that targets the VEGFR2 receptor making it an intriguing option to combine with immunotherapy, Barzi continues. Due to regorafenib’s single-agent activity in mCRC, adding it to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) could create an intriguing combinationwith a mechanism to overcome resistance to pembrolizumab alone, Barzi concludes.