Recently, I encountered a remarkable case involving one of my earliest patients diagnosed with MSI-high colorectal cancer, who had been undergoing immunotherapy for the past year. MSI-high colorectal cancer accounts for less than 10% of cases in this disease. Let me introduce Mr. X: he came to me shortly after undergoing surgery for stage 3 colon cancer. His recovery was complicated by significant cardiac issues, which made traditional chemotherapy with 5FU risky due to potential cardiotoxicity.
Unfortunately, by the time he sought my help, he had developed an abdominal mass. A PET scan revealed that his cancer had progressed to stage 4. Mr. X was understandably concerned about treatments that could further strain his heart. Upon analyzing his cancer tissue through Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), we discovered that he had MSI-high colon cancer—a fortunate finding, as it meant he could potentially benefit from an alternative approach: immunotherapy.
I'm thrilled to share his tremendous response.
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