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Active, not recruitingNCT07523763NIVO1002024Updated Apr 17, 2026

Neoadjuvant Low-dose Immunotherapy in Locally Advanced MMR-deficient Colorectal Cancer

A Phase 2 interventional study of Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab in Colorectal Cancer (MSI-H) and Colorectal Cancer (CRC), sponsored by Blokhin's Russian Cancer Research Center. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Russia. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-17.

Sponsored by Blokhin's Russian Cancer Research Center · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 2 years after the study started (first participant enrolled Mar 2024, registered Apr 2026).
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Patients with clinical stage II-III dMMR/MSI colorectal adenocarcinoma will be treated with low-dose immunotherapy: nivolumab 100 mg or pembrolizumab 100 mg. The duration of treatment is 6 months.

Read the detailed description

Patients with clinical high risk stage II (T3 with extramural extension ≥ 5mm or T4), stage III dMMR/MSI CRC will be treated with low-dose immunotherapy: nivolumab 100 mg every 2 weeks or pembrolizumab 100 mg every 4 weeks, then will be underwent surgery after 6 months of immunotherapy. Pts who refuse surgery and/or in case of complete clinical response (cCR) will continue therapy up to 1 year.

02

Conditions studied

  • Colorectal Cancer (MSI-H)
  • Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

Keywords

  • colorectal cancer
  • MSI
  • dMMR
  • immune checkpoint inhibitors
  • low-dose immunotherapy
03

In context

Colorectal Neoplasms

5,599 studies on the registry are indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms; 1,459 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 77 across 4,123 interventional studies indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms.

Browse Colorectal Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Blokhin's Russian Cancer Research Center is the lead sponsor of 32 studies on the registry; 15 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Availability of voluntarily signed informed consent from the patient
  • Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum;
  • Locally advanced tumor - cT3-4N0-2M0 according to CT for tumors of the colon and sigmoid colon; cT3 with a depth of tissue invasion ≥5mm (cT2N0 and higher for lower ampullary cancer) or T4 or involvement of the lateral resection margins according to MRI for rectal cancer;
  • Presence of MSI/dMMR in the tumor;
  • ECOG 0-2;
  • No contraindications to surgical treatment of malignancy

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous therapy with the inclusion of monoclonal antibodies - anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, anti PD-L2, anti-CTLA4 antibodies and other immunotherapy drugs
  • The presence of any other malignant tumor, with the exception of radically treated basal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ, currently or within 5 years before inclusion in the study
  • Pregnant and lactating women, as well as planning pregnancy during the period of therapy in a clinical trial and 6 months after the end of therapy
  • Patients with preserved reproductive potential who refuse to use adequate methods of contraception throughout the study and 6 months after the end of therapy or who agree to abstain from heterosexual contact.
  • Previous systemic therapy with immunosuppressive drugs (including, but not limited to: prednisone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, thalidomide and TNF [tumor necrosis factor] antagonists) within 4 weeks before signing the informed consent form, or the need to use immunosuppressive therapy in during the first year of the study.
  • The use of systemic glucocorticosteroids (GCS) in replacement doses (for example, in a dose equivalent to 10 mg of prednisolone per day or less), short-term use of systemic GCS (≤7 days), inhaled and topical GCS are allowed.
  • Active, known or suspected autoimmune diseases (patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism requiring only hormone replacement therapy, as well as autoimmune diseases with only skin manifestations [for example, vitiligo, alopecia or psoriasis without symptoms of psoriatic arthritis] are allowed to participate), that do not require systemic therapy);
  • Patients with HIV infection, active hepatitis B, active hepatitis C.
  • Life expectancy less than 6 months.
  • The presence of a disease or condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, prevents the patient from participating in the study.
  • Complicated course of the primary tumor, requiring urgent surgical intervention.
  • Previously performed radiation or chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, with the exception of cases of metachronous tumors over 5 years ago;
  • Persistence, progression or recurrence of the underlying disease or the presence of distant metastases
  • Conditions limiting the patient's ability to comply with the requirements of the protocol (in the opinion of the investigator);
  • Vaccination with live vaccines within 28 days before randomization;
  • Participation in other interventional clinical trials less than 30 days before randomization (except in cases of dropout before the introduction of study therapy) and while participating in an ongoing clinical trial;
  • Significant adverse events from previous therapy, with the exception of chronic and/or irreversible events that cannot influence the assessment of the safety of the study therapy (for example, alopecia);
  • Hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to the administration of drugs manufactured using Chinese hamster ovary cells, severe allergic reactions, anaphylaxis or other hypersensitivity reactions to chimeric or humanized antibodies, or any of the components of the study drug.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Nivolumab

    The patients will be treated with nivolumab 100 mg every 2 weeks during 6 months until surgery

    Drug: Nivolumab

  • Experimental
    Pembrolizumab

    The patients will be treated with pembrolizumab 100 mg every 4 weeks during 6 months until surgery

    Drug: Pembrolizumab

Interventions

  • DrugNivolumab

    Nivolumab 100 mg infusion

  • DrugPembrolizumab

    Pembrolizumab 100 mg infusion

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Complete response (pathological complete response - pCR + durable clinical complete response - cCR)

    pCR: absence of malignant cells on the specimen of colon/rectal resection in patients who were previously treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy cCR: absence of detectable tumor via endoscopy and MRI up to 6 months

    Time frame: up to 8 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Durable complete clinical response rate (DRR)

    A continuous response \[complete or partial objective response\] beginning within 6 months of treatment and lasting ≥6 months

    Time frame: up to 12 months

  2. Progression-free survival (PFS)

    Time from initiation of treatment to the occurrence of disease progression or death.

    Time frame: 12 months

  3. Overall survival (OS)

    Time from initiation of treatment to death.

    Time frame: 12 months

  4. Objective response rate (ORR)

    percentage of patients who achieve a response, which can either be complete response (complete disappearance of lesions) or partial response (reduction in the sum of maximal tumor diameters by at least 30% or more)

    Time frame: up to 8 months

  5. Major pathologic response (MPR)

    Rate of pathologic response TRG 1-2

    Time frame: up to 8 months

  6. Incidence of Treatment-Related Adverse Events as assessed by investigator

    Incidence of Adverse Events assessed according to CTCAE version 5

    Time frame: up to 6 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • N.N. Blokhin NMRCO
    Moscow, Russia
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07523763
Lead sponsor
Blokhin's Russian Cancer Research Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 13, 2026
Start date
Mar 22, 2024
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2025
Completion
Mar 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 17, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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