Sophie: Stage IV Colorectal Cancer

Patient Info: Sophie, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: BRAF mutation; MSI

Metastatic Site: Liver; lymph nodes; other torso lesions

As of August 2024, Sophie had been declared cancer-free after Stage IV BRAF-mutated/MSI bowel cancer responded to nivolumab/ipilimumab-based immunotherapy, with PET imaging and liver surgery biopsy showing no cancerous cells.

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Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nick's Patient Story

Patient Info: Nick Sprague, Male, 40s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: distant lymph nodes in abdomen/near aorta and left…

As of July 2024, Nick was living with Stage IVA colon cancer and receiving Keytruda/pembrolizumab with fewer side effects than chemotherapy; no NED status had been reached.

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Stage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Sophie, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: BRAF-mutated; MSI / microsatellite instability

Metastatic Site: liver; lymph nodes including neck

As of June 2024, Sophie had been off treatment for nearly 3 years and described herself as currently cancer-free after surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and liver surgery showing no cancer cells.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Amy's Patient Story

Patient Info: Amy Nicole, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver; lymph nodes near kidneys/retroperitoneal lymph…

As of June 2024, Amy was living with recurrent Stage IV colon cancer and was on an immunotherapy clinical trial that improved quality of life compared with chemotherapy, though she did not describe remission or NED.

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Elsa Lankford

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Biomarker testing completed; results not reported

She remained in treatment for Stage IV colon cancer and had entered immunotherapy trial NCT05572684; reported side effects included skin rashes and increased anxiety.

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MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie's Patient Story

Patient Info: Stephanie Dobson, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: MSI-high; Lynch syndrome

The rectal tumor was shrinking on immunotherapy and early treatment-related fatigue was improving.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Bobbi's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Bobbi Ratliff, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver|lungs

On February 1, 2024, scans showed no evidence of cancer after multimodal treatment for Stage IV disease.

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Pembrolizumab produced a complete response in unresectable dMMR colon cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+

Biomarkers: dMMR/MSI-H; MLH1 loss; MSH2 loss; RAS/BRAF wild type; MLH1 promoter hypermethylation

Surgery found a pathological complete response with no residual cancer in the colon or 58 lymph nodes, and follow-up showed no relapse.

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Pembrolizumab enabled complete response and surgery for unresectable dMMR colon cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s

Biomarkers: dMMR/MSI-H; MLH1 loss; PMS2 loss; BRAF mutation; MLH1 promoter hypermethylation

The surgical specimen showed a pathological complete response with no residual cancer and 0 of 43 lymph nodes involved, and follow-up showed no relapse.

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Pembrolizumab and surgery for metastatic dMMR colorectal cancer with major response

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: dMMR/MSI-H; MLH1 loss; PMS2 loss; BRAF/RAS wild type; RET::NCOA4 fusion; MLH1 promoter hypermethylation

Metastatic Site: non-regional lymph nodes

Surgery showed a major pathological response with less than 10% viable tumor. Pembrolizumab was restarted after surgery, and no relapse had been documented.

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Pembrolizumab led to complete response before surgery for metastatic dMMR colon cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: dMMR/MSI-H; MLH1 loss; PMS2 loss; BRAF mutation; heterozygous MUTYH p. pathogenic variant

Metastatic Site: liver

The 2023 liver resection showed a pathological complete response with no residual tumor, and he entered follow-up without additional therapy.

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Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jena's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jena Sica, Under 40 | Stage III

Biomarkers: Biomarker testing completed; results not reported

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Colorectal cancer: using a blood test (ctDNA) to guide immunotherapy after surgery — Case 1

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

Biomarkers: KRAS ; TMB 11 mutations/Mb; loss of MLH1 and PMS2; dMMR/MSI-H; germline multigene panel negative; ctDNA positive after surgery and chemotherapy

Pembrolizumab cleared ctDNA within about 3 months. After completing 1 year of immunotherapy, surveillance CT showed no evidence of disease and ctDNA remained negative.

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Colorectal cancer: using a blood test (ctDNA) to guide immunotherapy after surgery

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 40s

Biomarkers: dMMR/MSI-H; pathogenic germline MLH1 c.1459C>T consistent with Lynch syndrome; postoperative ctDNA rose during chemotherapy and became near-undetectable on pembrolizumab

He continued pembrolizumab with no evidence of disease on interval CT and near-undetectable ctDNA. Grade 1 thyroiditis was monitored without treatment interruption.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jeff's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jeff Williams, Male, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Liver; lungs

As of December 2023, Jeff was living with recurrent Stage IV colorectal cancer, had recently developed more lung tumors, continued chemotherapy locally every 2 weeks, and returned to UT MD Anderson every 3 months for scans.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Dania's Patient Story

Patient Info: Dania, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Not reported; pathology supported Keytruda eligibility

Metastatic Site: Liver; peritoneum

As of December 2023, Dania had Stage IV colon cancer but described an excellent response to Keytruda, successful colon/hernia surgery, and successful liver surgery while still healing and continuing follow-up.

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Stage III MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Kelly's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kelly, Female, Under 40 | Stage III

Biomarkers: dMMR; MSI-H

As of September 2023, Kelly remained in remission after 9 dostarlimab immunotherapy infusions for Stage III dMMR/MSI-H rectal cancer, avoiding the expected chemo/radiation/surgery pathway.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Colorectal Cancer: Brian's Patient Story

Patient Info: Brian Beck, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: liver

Brian was receiving tucatinib plus trastuzumab on a clinical trial and was working full time 4.5 years after his Stage IV diagnosis.

Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Kelly's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kelly Spill, Female | Stage III

As of August 2023, Kelly was in complete clinical response/NED after 9 dostarlimab treatments over about 6 months, avoiding the initially expected chemoradiation and surgery path.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: JJ's Patient Story

Patient Info: JJ, Male, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Microsatellite-mutated disease mentioned in clinical-trial context; exact MSI/MMR result not otherwise specified

Metastatic Site: Abdominal wall; lymph nodes; stomach/intestinal outlet…

As of January 2023, JJ was living with incurable Stage IV colon cancer on pembrolizumab/Keytruda clinical-trial infusions every 3 weeks; the trial had kept the abdominal tumor mass from spreading and had helped him live beyond the prognosis he feared, but it was not described as curative.

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A young man with metastatic rectal cancer and inherited BRCA1 and MLH1 mutations

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Germline BRCA1 c.4065_4068delTCAA and MLH1 c.232G>T mutations; tumor microsatellite instability-high; loss of MLH1 and PMS2 expression; elevated tumor mutational burden; loss of heterozygosity of wild-type MLH1.

Metastatic Site: liver

The rectal and liver tumors showed a partial response, no viable carcinoma was found in the resected liver lesions, and maintenance nivolumab continued without evidence of growth or recurrence.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Cindi's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Cindi, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Liver; abdominal lining/peritoneum

As of March 2022, Cindi had no recurrence more than 1 year after a clinical trial with nivolumab, investigational anti-tumor vaccine, chemotherapy, and surgery produced a complete pathologic response with no living cancer cells.

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Colorectal Cancer: Li's Patient Story

Patient Info: Li Zong

Li Zong remained on chemotherapy and targeted therapy while considering future hospice and palliative care.

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A Severe Delayed Immune Reaction After Treatment for Metastatic Colon Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver

He recovered from repeated episodes of severe cytokine release syndrome after prolonged corticosteroids, completed adjuvant FOLFOX and CV301 without nivolumab, and had no further CRS episodes.

PubMed CentralRead more →