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Although overall survival from colorectal cancer (CRC) has steadily improved over the past decade, there is still work to be done. The gains associated with improved detection and treatment paradigms with chemotherapy and biologics appear to have reached their ceiling. Immune-based therapies have recently demonstrated clinical benefit in other cancers, including CRC with microsatellite instability (MSI), but patients with CRC without MSI have not yet derived benefit. This article reviews the history of CRC immunotherapy trials, the conceptual basis for why the activity of the immune system may be relevant to survival in CRC, and current efforts in CRC immunotherapy, and speculates about future efforts in this area based on experience with immunotherapy efforts in other classes of solid tumors.

Background: We evaluated the impact of gastroenterology/hepatology consultation, as recommended by guidelines, on the management of severe immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)–induced hepatitis. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 294 patients who developed grade ≥3 (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] >200 U/L) ICI-induced hepatitis, with early gastroenterology/hepatology consultation defined as occurring within 7 days of diagnosis. The primary outcome was time to ALT normalization (≤40 U/L), and the secondary outcome was time to ALT improvement to ≤100 U/L. Results: A total of 117 patients received early consultation. In the 213 patients with steroid-responsive hepatitis, early consultation was not associated with faster ALT normalization (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% CI, 0.83–1.51; P=.453). A total of 81 patients developed steroid-refractory hepatitis, with 44 (54.3%) receiving early consultation. In contrast to the patients whose hepatitis responded to steroid treatment, early consultation in those with steroid-refractory disease was associated with faster ALT normalization (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.12–3.19; P=.017) and ALT improvement to ≤100 U/L (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.04–2.84; P=.034). Notably, additional immunosuppressive therapy for steroid-refractory disease was initiated sooner after diagnosis in the early consult group (median 7.5 vs 13.0 days; log-rank P=.001). When time to additional immunosuppression was added as a covariate to the Cox model in mediation analysis, early consultation was no longer associated with time to ALT normalization (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.82–2.38; P=.226) or with time to ALT improvement to ≤100 U/L (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.74–2.11; P=.404). Time to additional immunosuppression remained associated with faster ALT normalization and faster ALT improvement to ≤100 U/L in the model, suggesting that the faster hepatitis resolution in the early consultation group was primarily attributable to earlier initiation of additional immunosuppression. Conclusions: Early gastroenterology/hepatology consultation is associated with faster resolution of biochemical abnormalities in patients with steroid-refractory hepatitis. This beneficial effect appears to be mediated by earlier initiation of additional immunosuppressive therapy in those receiving early consultation.